


Reconstruction of a Mistake

by ditzybea



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Heavy Angst, Kleenix Will Be Needed, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-23 10:20:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 50,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6113470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ditzybea/pseuds/ditzybea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you were given the chance to change your life, would you?<br/>After Luke leaves, Reid gets an unexpected visitor and gets to re-do the last 5 years.<br/>Will he do things the same or change them?<br/>And will he be able to live with those choices?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

How did this happen?

"Where were you last night?" Luke asked as he went through the stack of mail on their kitchen table. His husband had just come in and Luke was already jumping all over him.

* * *

 

Reid hadn't come home again last night; that made three nights this week. He had been promoted to Chief of Staff nearly four years ago. Almost as long as they had been married. At first it was easy, his workload tripled, but they were expecting that. This was Reid's dream job and they knew that things were going to get tough for them, but they were making it work. There were many of nights that they shared dinner in Reid's office or lunches spent in the cafeteria or Al's. Luke would bring him his latte and bagel in the morning when Reid had to work the night shift. Just seeing the blonde would bring a smile to his face and Casey was the first to razz Reid when he got that dreamy look on his face.

They used to text each other during lulls in their respective days. Reid grew to love that slight buzz that his phone would give off to signal that he had gotten a message from Luke. At times he would lose his chain of thought when he felt that buzz. Many a conversation had been interrupted by Reid's iPhone. Luke would send him a fluffy or sexy text and frazzle Reid for a few moments. He would send back a snarky response or twist it into something wholly inappropriate. He just knew Luke would roll his eyes, laugh out loud, or blush profusely; the latter was Reid personal favorite.

Eventually, Reid started to miss family functions. He had an extremely important job and Luke knew that, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt when he didn't show up. Luke would make sure he brought home leftovers from Emma's kitchen, which Reid ate right up. Luke fussed at first, letting Reid know he was disappointed; especially when Reid missed Ethan's birthday. Luke had to see that look of hurt in his baby brother's eyes. It felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

Slowly the text messages and the lunches dried up, at first they both noticed, but then they were both busy with their individual lives. Luke had sold Grimaldi Shipping to a distant cousin and rolled over the profits into his foundation. He would fly off to New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles to pursue donors or sponsor events. Helping others were big parts of their lives and they gave into it. Both of them figured that they would have time. There was always tomorrow. But tomorrow came with more of the same.

* * *

 

"Are you going to answer me?" Luke demanded as Reid dipped his head into the fridge to find something to eat.

"Luke, I'm tired. I didn't sleep well last night. I came home for something to eat and shower before I go back to the hospital," he said in an exhausted voice and looked at his watch. It was almost six pm; he had been at the hospital for almost 36 straight hours.

"You don't even remember, do you?"

"What?"

"Ethan's play is tonight. You missed his last birthday and you promised him that you would be there tonight to make up for it. He has been counting on this for two weeks. He's playing Jack in "Jack and the Beanstalk". You know, sometimes I wonder…,"

"What? Finish your sentence!" Reid was getting just as upset as Luke was. He was a doctor and ran not only the most advanced neuro facility in the United States, but its hospital as well. He couldn't just drop everything because one of Luke's family members has something going on. If he did that, he would never be at work.

"Sometimes I wonder why we even got married," he said it. He had been secretly thinking it for months, but it hurt whenever it entered his head.

"What did you say?" Reid asked; the shock evident in his voice.

"We're apart more than we are together!"

"That goes both ways Luke. You fly out of town on business at least once a week. Sometimes I don't even know about it until I get a message from you or your assistant,"

"I would give all it up if you asked me to," Luke countered and he knew what was now hanging in the air. Reid didn't respond. Being a doctor had been his dream since he was a small boy and now that he had his dream job, he didn't want to give it up. Another thought was coming into Reid's head as he looked at his husband and seeing the tears in his eyes. He knew this was going to happen eventually. Luke would see Reid for who he really was and see that it wasn't enough.  That he wasn't enough.

"Why _**did**_ _ **you**_ marry me then? You knew this going in!" Reid spoke in a rush of anger; not really meaning to ask it. Luke could feel himself shaking and he was sick to his stomach. He was realizing something and his body was reacting to it.

"So, that's it? There's nothing I can say, nothing at all," Luke asked in a ghost of his normal voice.

"No," Reid forced out. He watched the realization of his words flow over Luke and his face. His eyes darkened, his shoulders slumped, and then his head dropped; taking his gaze from Reid.

"Ok. Fine," Luke said in a soft voice and turned to go upstairs.

_Wait,_ _he_ _was_ _giving_ _up?_ _Luke_ **_never_ ** _gave_ _up._

"So that's it?" Reid was angry now and he was not sure why. He heard an almost tired laugh come out of Luke before he turned to face him. What Reid saw on his face nearly destroyed him. Seeing Luke hurting was always the hardest thing that he ever had to endure. Luke wasn't even trying to hide the tears. Reid watched as two more fell down Luke's face before he spoke to him.

"Well, to hear you tell it, there's no point. Nothing I can say remember," Luke sniffed back slightly and turned to go upstairs to their bedroom, well, their now former bedroom. He wanted Reid to stop him. Make him stay, but his husband let him down again. They had been pulling away from each other for so long; they were in two different time zones now.

He stepped across the threshold and saw the room the same way they left it this morning. Luke left a bath towel hanging over the storage bench at the end of the bed. Reid had folded his sleep clothes and they sat at the end of the bed. It seemed like they had separate sides of the room. As if someone had drawn a line down the middle. Luke could see that his "side" was messy and disorganized while Reid's was straightened within an inch of its life. They really were different. Luke always knew that, but to see it laid out in front of him like this.  It was like the shade had been pulled back and he was really seeing their relationship for what it really was.

Luke grabbed a bag out of the closet and started to pack his clothes. He grabbed a few things that he knew he was going to need. He could always come back for the rest. _The rest._ That made it all sound so final. Luke figured that it really was now. He was about to leave the room when he looked over his shoulder. He walked to the bed, reached down, and picked up the bath towel. He slowly folded it and hung it back up on the towel rod in the bathroom.

He walked down the stairs and saw Reid sitting at the kitchen island with his back facing the stairs. Reid was absently stirring at a bowl of cereal in front of him. He didn't want to do this. He never wanted to do this. When he and Reid married he thought that was it. There wouldn't be anyone else. He never thought that this would happen to him; after everything that he had to go through with his parents. He put his bags down by the door and went to grab his messenger bag off the kitchen table. He passed Reid and picked up his bag. He walked past the older man and stopped halfway to the door. He had been carrying an envelope in his bag for the last two weeks. He had gone to see Tom Hughes and told him to wait until he could talk to Reid. He never found a time or maybe he hoped that he wouldn't have to. But he was wrong.

Luke slipped his hand into the front pocket of his bag and pulled out the envelope. He held it for a second and felt his heart break. He set the manila envelope next to Reid and stepped away towards the door. Reid glanced down and he knew what it was. He felt his stomach burn and ache. He couldn't believe that this was happening to them. He didn't know what to say or do. Something so small and unnoticeable held something so powerful.

Luke looked at his husband's back one more time and went to get his bag. The sappy romantic in him was hoping that Reid would fight for him. Grab him, kiss him, and carry him up to their bedroom. But none of those things happened. He didn't look or say anything to him. Luke let go of one more long breath, picked up his bags, and walked through the door.

Reid heard his husband let out a breath, but when he turned to say something, he saw the door softly close.

He never thought that they would end this way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, whatta think?  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Reid has a weird awaking.  
> Stay Tuned!


	2. Kansas No More

Reid was sitting at their kitchen island, playing with a bowl of cereal. The house was so quiet so quickly. It had only been about two hours since he left. Right afterwards, Reid walked upstairs to see what their bedroom looked like. The towel that had been left at the end of the bed was now hanging in the bathroom. Luke had pulled the blankets back and made his side of the bed. He must have taken the books with him; Luke's bedside table was empty except his alarm clock. Reid could almost fool himself that he was the only one who slept in here. He had been so angry with Luke when they fought; he just wanted to get away. But he wasn't going to go running after him. If Luke wanted to end this, then he wasn't going to fight it.

Reid went back downstairs and sat down at the island. He looked at the envelope, but didn't touch it. It was as if he thought he was going to be burned if he opened it. Well, in a way he would. He knew that if he opened it, it would be real. This…adventure with Luke would be over. How did he let this happen? How could he have let Luke slip away from him? Luke was the fighter in their relationship. He fought for them in the beginning when Reid didn't want to start anything. Luke was the one who pushed for Reid to open up to him. Reid had shared more with Luke than with any other person he had ever met. Before Luke all of his relationships were in name only. He scoffed at the idea of getting married, but with Luke he wanted to. He wanted to share his life with him. Where did that go wrong?

Reid decided not to dwell on it. He really wasn't needed at the hospital. Honestly, he was only spending time at the hospital to avoid having one of those discussions that Luke just needed to have. He didn't have the energy to listen where he was wrong. He decided he didn't want to know either. He left the envelope untouched and opened the freezer. He reached in and pulled out a chilled bottle of vodka. Luke never told Reid that he could never drink in front of him, but Reid never thought it was fair to rub Luke's nose in it. He kept a bottle tucked behind the frozen pizza and TV dinners. He closed the door and walked to cupboard to take out a glass. He started with one glass and didn't even realize that he had had too much until he passed out in his bed, empty bottle on the floor.

Reid rolled over and blinked his eyes open. He knew it was mid-morning by the brightness in the room. He never slept this late, at least not alone. His heart tightened sharply at the realization of why he was sleeping alone. He shook off the feeling of sadness and struggled to sit up. His head throbbed and he felt every nerve in his body screaming. He had never had a hangover this strong before. When he was finally able to sit up, he dropped his head in hands and tried to shake the cobwebs from his mind. After several minutes, he was able to calm his stomach and the dizziness was lessening. He fully opened his eyes and was totally confused. He was in his old bedroom at Katie's.

_What_ _…_ _how_ _…_ _when_ _did_ _I_ _come_ _here?_ _I_ _must_ _have_ _been_ _completely_ _gone_ _last_ _night_ _to_ _come_ _over_ _here._

He slowly pulled himself to his feet. He shuffled down the hall and into the kitchen. He made a beeline for the coffee maker. There was a note taped to the machine.

_Reid,_  
_Coffee_ _'_ _s_ _fresh._ _Already_ _at_ _work._  
_See_ _you_ _tonight._  
_K._

_God,_ _she_ _still_ _puts_ _little_ _hearts_ _over_ _her_ _i_ _'_ _s._

If he had any say, he would be sleeping in his own bed and not standing in his former kitchen in the same clothes he wore yesterday. But then it hit him. It wasn't his bed. It was their bed. His and Luke's. Perhaps he would talk to Katie later and take her up on her offer to stay here.  
After downing two cups and a long, hot shower, Reid made his way to ** _Java_**.

He needed one more cup before he went into work. He was dreading it already. He was sure that Luke's filing for divorce was all over Oakdale by now. The gossip of the weaker minds at the hospital were going to be running rampant today. He ordered his latte and sat at a table. He felt the warm silky liquid slid down his raw throat and he felt a bit of peace. He always appreciated the little things. Nothing against Katie's coffee, but the caramel lattes at _**Java**_ were pretty hard to top. He was halfway through his coffee when he got his second surprise of the day. He felt the table move slightly and he looked up to see Luke sitting opposite him. _What_ _was_ _he_ _doing?_

"What?" Reid asked in a rather irritated tone.

"Are you on your way to the hospital?"

"Ye-ah," he answered, hesitating. He was totally confused and not even trying to hide it.

"Mind some company?"

"Excuse me?" Reid was astonished. After last night's argument and the divorce paper, Luke was sitting here and acting as if nothing happened. He left him for Christ's sake.

"Well, I figured since you're staying to do Noah's surgery, I thought we could at least be civil," Luke paused, pulling his lower lip between his teeth. After a beat, Luke let out a resigned sigh. "But I guess you can't even do that can you? You know what, you forget you even saw me today and I'll do the same," Luke spat out at him. Reid watched Luke get up and stomp out of the coffee shop.

"Hold the phone," Reid chased after him and caught up to him just outside. "What did you just say?"

"Oh, you're going to change your mind now because I tried to have a civilized conversation with you. Great! You would do that, wouldn't you? Look, I'm sorry that I bothered you, don't take it out on Noah. I'm gonna go and I'll leave you alone," Luke turned on his heel and walked down the street and around the corner. Reid didn't say anything, he honestly didn't know what to say.

* * *

Reid walked towards Memorial; his day was getting weirder. First he wakes up at Katie's; without any memory of getting there. Secondly, he can't find his keys or his phone. If he wasn't so late getting to work, he would've gone home and looked for them. But he needed good coffee, so a trip to Java trumped his search for his phone. And that was where he ran into the oddest thing. Luke. He was acting so different around him, talking about Noah, whatever. Now he just wanted to get in his office and sleep for a couple hours before he did his rounds.

He usually came in from the south so he could he look at his neuro wing as he came into work. The early morning light shining off the dark glass and white brick gave him goose bumps every time. But today he was coming in for a completely opposite side and the wing was hidden by Memorial itself. He walked through the parking lot and jumped when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder.  He spun towards his aggressor; not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"What the hell are you doing?" He shouted at her.

"Morning Doc," she said in a very chipper voice. Reid's brow furrowed. She was the one who always leaked tears. She stepped in his path, blocking his egress towards the building. She was never like this.

"You still didn't answer my question," Reid demanded.

"Aww. Bad day?"

"It will be for you if you don't get out of my way," he said tersely and stepped around her. He looked over his shoulder and saw she wasn't following. He thanked God for that. He always found her extremely annoying. If he ever paid her any more attention he was sure that he would have found a myriad of other reasons for her dismissal.

"See ya later Doc!" She yelled as he entered the elevator just off the small parking ramp. He glared at her as the doors started to close and finally leaving him alone. Once they shut, he leaned against the back of the elevator. He knew his and Luke's relationship was regular fodder for the little minds that worked at Memorial and today he was sure things were going to be hell. If he could just get to his office and sit for a bit, he could compose himself and put his game face on. He just wished that the elevator he was in opened on his floor. He was actually two halls from the elevator that opened up on the floor where his hiding place was. He just hoped that no one accosted him again.

And luckily enough for him, no one did.

* * *

He made short work of said halls and made it to the elevator that would open onto the fifteenth floor; which was where the Chief of Staff's office was. Many times he teased Bob, when he was the Chief, that his office was too far away from the action, but today he was glad for it. He entered the elevator hit floor 15 button and waited. As he rode up the twelve floors to his office, he couldn't stop his mind as it flashed back to his and Luke's experiments to rid him of his phobia of elevators. They sat on the floor and talked, made out, and on one occasion swapped blow jobs. Luke said it was changing the association he made with elevators. From death and suffocating to pleasure and hot sex. They always said that would have some refresher courses, but they never got around to it. Reid let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. He still had a headache from hell.

"Got a headache?"

The voice scared him half to death. He jumped away from it to the other side of the elevator and looked to see that annoying nurse standing there.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked as he backed to the complete opposite side of the elevator.

"Me? Just got here,"

"Huh? Whatever. I'm going to my office and I don't want anyone to bother me,"

"Ok-ay. But we aren't going to your office," her tone was starting to get on Reid's nerves. She was almost gleeful, like a freaking garden gnome.

"You are as stupid as you seem. Of course we are," the elevator dinged and the doors opened, signaling his escape from whatever her name was. Reid stepped out and Gretchen was right behind him. He looked over his shoulder and watched her tag right along. He made a mental note to reassign her to the morgue as soon as he got in his office.

The two came up to his outer office door and he couldn't wait to get inside. The first thing he noticed when he entered the antechamber was that his assistant Jennie was not at her desk. He groaned slightly at this development and continued to his office door.

"You'd better knock," Gretchen said, but Reid had heard enough out of her and opened his door. That's where things got even worse. It wasn't his office. When Reid moved in he painted, changed the furniture, but he made a point to keep Bob's globe, albeit on a high bookshelf.

But everything looked the same as it did when he moved in. The walls, the blinds, even that ugly carpet. And the finishing touch, Bob, sitting there going over reports. The older man looked up when he heard the door open.

"Dr. Oliver? Good morning,"

"Ah, yeah. Good morning Bob,"

"Can I do something for you?  Need a consult?" The older man asked.

"What? Oh, no, thanks. I'll see ya around,"

"All right," Bob answered, kind of uneasy.

He watched Reid slowly close the door and then went back to his department reports. He was never going to understand that man, but he wanted to. He hoped that he convince him to find a life outside of work. There were so many other things besides medicine to fill his life.

Reid entered the elevator and Gretchen hit the 5 button. He looked like he was in shock. This happened on every assignment, she was used to by now. She watched him try to make sense of it. He took a couple deep breaths and turned to her.

"Ok. What the hell is going on?"

"Well, first of all, it's 2010,"

"No. It's 2015,"

"No. It's 2010. March 18th to be exact,"

The elevator dinged and opened on the fifth floor. She walked out and looked back at Reid standing in the middle of the elevator.

"Come on Dr. O," he flinched like he woke from a daydream. He stepped in line behind her. They continued down the hall and around the corner. "Now, I know this is a lot to take it, but I have a way of proving it you," she said as they made one more turn. She gestured to a pair of double doors at the end of the hall. Reid looked around to be sure he had his bearings right. Yeah, he was in the right place. Through the double doors led to the south parking garage. Reid opened the doors and stepped outside. The thing was, that parking lot didn't exist, at least not anymore. He was standing smack dab where the Snyder Pavilion Neurological wing was.  Or was supposed to be.

He suddenly wished that he had called in sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You still interested? I'll post the next part tomorrow.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Gretchen has some explaining to do.  
> Stay Tuned!


	3. Two Choices

Gretchen finally got Reid back to his old office. The tiny office with zero outside lighting and that uncomfortable couch that smelled like corn nuts, but he just couldn't sit still. This was all too much. He felt like he was in a bad SyFy Channel movie. He started naming off the parts of the brain to himself, testing to see if he was going crazy.

"Ok, explain this to me," he demanded. His arms were crossed tightly across his chest. Gretchen hopped up onto his horizontal filing cabinet and settled in. These conversations always did take a while.

"Well, you and Luke getting divorced…it wasn't supposed to happen that way. That wasn't your ending,"

"Really? And how exactly was it supposed to go?" He was patronizing her and they both knew it.

"I don't know," she answered and Reid scoffed. "I'm not told how or why. And even if I did know, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you," she was just having too much fun with Reid.

"I don't believe it," Reid said and picked up his office phone receiver.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm calling my house,"

"HA! Good luck with that! How many times do I have to tell you doctor? _**THAT LIFE DOES NOT EXIST**_!" She cupped her hands around her mouth to accentuate her point of view. This is like pulling teeth. He was so damn stubborn! Reid kept dialing the number that he and Luke had used since they bought their house. He just kept getting the same response, "The number you have dialed is not in service. Please hang up and try again,"

"What is wrong with this phone?" He exclaimed. He slammed the phone down and pinched the bridge of his nose. The headache he had when he woke this morning was back in full force. He looked up and saw Gretchen still sitting on top of his horizontal filing cabinet. She looked quite pleased with herself as she swung her legs back and forth.

"I'm not sure I like you like this," Reid mumbled to her.

"You do have a choice to make. You can either do everything the exact same or you can change things,"

"Excuse me?"

"Think of it as a do-over,"

"So what are you? An angel or something?"

"If I told you I was angel, would you believe me?" She asked and Reid didn't even hesitate.

"Hell no!"

"So, why try to figure it out? I'm just here if need help or have questions and to make sure that you don't break the rules,"

"Oh, there's rules? Of course there is," Reid rolled his eyes so boldly that Gretchen thought he was having a stroke.

"Well, just one. You can't tell anybody,"

"Ok-ay,"

"I'm serious Reid, no one. Not Katie, not Luke, you tell anyone about this," she whistled and then snapped her fingers, "You go right back,'

"I'm not sure if I believe what is going on, but I'm curious, so I'll go along with it. Ok, no one will know," he said and then stood up.

"You've been given a very rare gift. Don't waste it,"

"Got it. So, when I am? Supposedly," Reid was still not believing what was happening. But he would eventually. There were two kinds of people; those who believe it right away and take on the challenge. And the rest are like Reid Oliver. They fight it tooth and nail the entire time, until the roof crashes in on them. Gretchen had hoped that Reid wouldn't fight this, because for that half that fight it, they have a jolting realization. And that realization is so painful.

"March 18th, 2010,"

"So, let me see," he tried to think back to what was going on then. "Noah is still blind and he and Luke have just broken up. Mr. Judd just paid me a little visit. The neuro wing has just started to make some traction and Luke still hates me."

"That's about the gist of it, yeah."

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

"Is there a problem with enjoying my work? I gotta go," she said as she went to door.

"Wait. You said if I had questions, how can I get a hold of you?"

"Don't worry Doc. I'll be around. Remember, no one can know," and she was gone. He sat back in his chair and thought about this. He was being able to redo the last five years. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. This was a rather rare gift. The first thing he thought of was his patients. The ones he lost. He would be able to save them. And Luke. Reid wasn't sure what he was going to do about him. The fact that he was questioning made him think that maybe he should let him go. Reid knew that he had a lot to think about, but he had to get back to work. Reid grabbed the files off his desk and walked out to do his rounds.

* * *

Reid finished his shift and went to Al's to get dinner. He had to come to a decision about Luke. He could either pursue Luke as he had the first time or let him go. It wasn't an easy decision. On one hand he knew all of Luke's fears the last time and he would be able to anticipate them. Knowing how things went, he could be more patient and more understanding. Avoiding fights before they could develop. Be the kind of man that Luke deserved. That was always a nagging doubt in Reid's mind that he never shared with anyone. Luke deserved someone as good and kind as he was. He remembered the conversation that they had when Luke was trying to teach him interpersonal skills. They had been running different scenarios that could come up at the hospital. Reid felt as if Luke was trying to change him into someone else; someone more like Noah.

_"_ _I_ _'_ _m_ _not_ _Noah,_ _you_ _know._ _"_

_"_ _What?_ _"_

_"_ _I_ _'_ _m_ _never_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _warm_ _and_ _fuzzy._ _I_ _'_ _m_ _probably_ _always_ _going_ _to_ _forget_ _your_ _birthday,_ _work_ _through_ _Christmas._ _My_ _idea_ _of_ _sentiment_ _is_ _not_ _taking_ _the_ _last_ _donut._ _"_

_"_ _Reid._ _I_ _don_ _'_ _t_ _want_ _you_ _to_ _be_ _Noah._ _"_

Luke told him that he didn't want a guy like Noah, implying that he wanted Reid. But deep down Reid always wondered if Luke had regretted their relationship. He knew Luke loved him; that was never a question, but maybe he would have been happier with someone more like him. Someone less career driven and easy going. He still had a lot to think about when it came to Luke. He figured that he'd head home and do a little more thinking.

Reid entered the apartment he shared with Katie and saw the blonde sitting on the couch folding laundry.

"Hey."

"Hi." She answered back as she scooped the folded laundry off the coffee table and placed them in the basket.

"How are you?"

"I'm better thanks. Thanks for letting him cry on your shoulder last night. It's nice to have someone around who isn't trying to fix me and just letting me be sad." She said and Reid had to go with it. He couldn't tell her that this conversation was actually five years old.

"Don't worry blondie. Besides, you're a loud crier…I wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway." Reid teased her. He watched her take a breath and smile at him. She carried the basket into Jacob's room and he turned to his huge greasy bag from Al's. As he dug into his chili-cheese fries, two cheeseburgers, a chocolate shake, and a piece of cherry pie, his thoughts drifted to Luke. Could he really not be with him? He loved him, probably from the first day he met him, could he really not let that into his life?

Luke…was his one and only, but did Luke really deserve someone like Reid? He always teased Luke during their first year of marriage that Luke was too good for him, while Luke would say the same back to him. Luke deserved someone good and honest and, dare he say, noble. Luke had made Reid into a better man, but he knew he wasn't the best man for him.

As Reid laid down that night he knew that he had come to a decision. The right decision. He knew that what he was about to do would be difficult, but for the good of Luke, he was willing to do it. He was willing to let him go. His eyes grew heavier and heavier as sleep finally took him.

He dreamed of Luke that night. He dreamt of them just hanging out in their house. It was as if his brain was revolting against his decision, but he knew he needed to do this.

He had to do this for Luke. It was what he deserved. Reid's last gift to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, a bit of sad one.  
> I like seeing Gretchen like this!  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Reid implement his plan without getting to close.  
> Stay Tuned!


	4. Deal Is Made

A week passed and everything was going rather well. Reid was working; doing his turns in the ER and taking any neuro cases that he could. He was basically living in a flashback. He knew how some of his patients would react to treatment and what was ailing them. He knew that this would be a likely side effect of this whole "do-over" thing, but he didn't find any pleasure in what he was doing. One mustn't misunderstand, he always felt a rush when he saved someone's life, but one could say he was cheating. He was cheating death. A person who believed in fate might say that Reid was playing a very dangerous game. Some of the patients that he was curing now, did not make it last time. Tempting the fates if you will. It was a good thing that Reid was not one of those people.

Reid was making a quick stop in Al's to grab some breakfast when he saw Bob sitting at the table just finishing his. He suddenly knew what day it was. And was just waiting for this conversation. Bob was going over his proposal for the new wing and Reid knew that he was going to tell him that their current funding was not going to be enough.

"Dr. Oliver, you care to join me?"

"No, I'm just getting something quick before I go in to work." Reid decided to cut Bob off at the pass. There was no point in replaying it verbatim. Reid knew how that worked out. "What do you have there?"

"It's your proposal for the new wing. And I'm afraid that I have some bad news."

"I know some parts of my proposal are rather costly, but in order to have a top-of-the-line wing, you need to spend top-of-the-line money." Reid said as he took a seat across from Bob. Reid was smoozing, at least trying to. Living with Luke all those years had to account from something.

"I agree, but perhaps there are certain parts that can be delayed in the initial launch. I've made some notes here," and Bob attempted to hand the file to Reid. The redhead waved him off and tried to keep his temper down.

"There's no point in building it!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way Dr. Oliver." Bob was sorry. He had hoped that this brilliant young doctor could find a home here in Oakdale. Reid soon got up and stormed out. He was really trying to make all of this work. He was juggling so much. He had to remember that he was reliving all of this and that some things hadn't happened yet. He also had to keep to his rude self as close as he could, which quite frankly was exhausting. He also had to keep his distance from Luke. He caught himself nearly every other day stopping himself from calling him or texting him. Mostly just to ask him about his day or tell him about a patient who was living now because of him.

After all that work in distancing himself from Luke, now he was going to have go right up to him and talk to him. Ask him for help. Reid hoped that Luke would at least listen.

* * *

Reid walked into Java and saw Luke sitting alone. He was wearing a green ringer tee and his hair was casual cool; one of Reid faves and Luke seemed to pull it off without any effort. He steadied himself and took a deep breath. He even had to wipe his sweaty hands on his jeans as he came up to Luke's table.

"Glad I found you."

"Why?" Luke asked, completely shocked, very confused and frankly, a bit uneasy.

"No reason." Reid was so nervous and he was sure that Luke would be able to see it. He quickly sat down, hoping to hide his nervousness.

"So, how's it going?" _Nice try at small talk Reid._ He would have groaned, but then Luke would have probably walked out.

"How's what going?"

"Life." _Why is my leg bouncing and why can't I stop it?_

"Seriously?" Luke asked. _Knock it off Oliver; you're sinking fast._

"Yeah. Ah, how's the boyfriend?" Reid was desperately trying to remember this conversation. He knew that they talked about Noah.

"He's an ex-boyfriend and you should know you see him every day."

"Oh, right. Well, he's good, in case you were wondering."

"What is wrong with you?" Luke asked; Reid could see that he was getting more and more uncomfortable.

"Nothing. I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Since when and why?"

"No reason why we can't get along."

" **Seriously?** The world's greatest doctor and Richie Rich." Reid almost flinched when he heard Luke recite the unflattering moniker that he gave him when he first moved to Oakdale. It wasn't until years later that Reid found out how hurtful that name was to Luke.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was just being…,"

" **Friendly**?"

"Yeah, sure."

"You can just stop please, because it doesn't suit you and it looks rather painful for you. It's painfully obvious that you want something from me. Why don't you just tell me what you want, I'll say no, and we can go back to be ourselves." Reid was _so_ done playing this. He didn't know how to be this way around Luke anymore. He didn't want to be mean to him. Luke got enough of that from others. Reid couldn't stand the thought that he was hurting Luke. Reid decided to cut right to the quick.

"Fine, the neurology wing is going to suck." He plainly said and slumped back in his chair.

"What? But I thought you designed it."

"I did, but we don't have enough money to do it right."

"You've got to be kidding me?"

"Hank's donation is only going to go so far and if we want to have the best facility in the country…,"

"…then you need more money."

"Yeah, and you're loaded." Reid answered quickly.  Luke leaned back and crossed him arms across his chest.

"And you're insane."

"Why, you're generous guy. You've got a foundation, you make loads of grants. I'm just asking you to make one more."

"So after all this time throwing the fact that I have money in my face and now you're here asking for a handout." Luke shook his head in disbelief. _His guy is unbelievable._

"It's not for me."

"That's bull!" Luke said with a bit of disdain, Reid quickly cut him off; he was trying not to bring up anything that may raise the sexual tension between them; at least more than he always felt around Luke.

"No. It's for patients like Noah. People who need me to help them and the only way I can do that is by building this facility. Hank's donation was just the seed money, but by all means, say no because of some hostility you have for me. That only means that I will have to take my plans and find someone who is willing to build it."

"What? You're going to take your ball and go home."

"Use whatever analogy or metaphor that you want. There would be no reason for me to stay." Reid thought he had laid down his argument rather well. He hit all the points that would get to Luke without showing his hand or saying anything hurtful. "Look, before you say no out right, just please, think about it. Think about Noah and everyone else that this wing could help. Then if you really won't do it, then I guess, I had you figured out right the first time." Reid got up to leave before Luke could say anything back. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Luke with an almost bewildered look on his face. Reid hoped that he gamble would pay off. He just had to wait for Luke to come to him.

* * *

The rest of the day was like a torture. Waiting to see if Luke would put the money up or not. Reid was just worried that Luke would call his bluff and he would be without the wing and having to find a new place to build it. But his worries were assuaged when Luke came in about an hour later.

"Well, it's happening."

"What's happening?" Reid asked; playing dumb.

"I spoke to the executive director of my foundation, we're going to put up the money for the Synder Pavillion."

"How much?"

"You're welcome. As for how much, how much do you need?"

"Ah, Bob has the figures."

"Well, send them to my offices and we'll work it all out."

"Thank you, that's really great of you." Reid was trying to act shocked, but Luke was one of the most generous people he had ever met. He knew that Luke would do the right thing; nothing that Luke did shocked Reid.

"Wow. That almost sounded genuine."

"It was. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Luke was suddenly shy in front of the doctor. "I do have a few conditions."

"Such as?"

"I don't want Noah to know about this. I don't want him to think that I'm buying myself back into his life."

"Are you?" Reid asked. He couldn't help it. He was always protective of Luke when it came to his interactions with Noah. That guy just seemed to hurt Luke, whether he meant to or not. Luke sidestepped that one and went on to his second caveat.

"And second, I want a seat on the board. I want in on the planning and decision making process."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure…"

"…these are conditions Dr. Oliver, they're not requests."

"You and me working together? You don't how that could be a problem?"

"Well, I can play nice…if you can." Luke said with a glint in his eye and a wiggle of his eyebrows. Reid loved it when Luke got this way. It was so hot! But no! Reid had to keep himself from acting on it. Luke extended his hand to seal the deal and Reid shook it.

So far, so good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flirty Luke is so cute. Anyway, this was more of filler episode.  
> Stay Tuned!  
> Next chapter coming this evening.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - The guys come to an "understanding".


	5. Deserves Better

A few days passed and Reid didn't see Luke. He never thought that he would be glad for that. That was until this whole thing started and he had made the choice to let Luke go. When he and Luke first moved in together, there were whole weekends where they never left their apartment; more often than not they never even left their bedroom. Now he dreaded each time that the younger man came within view of him; knowing now that he can't touch him or talk to him the way they use to. But he had to do this. That became his mantra. Whenever his will wanted to leave him, he would just repeat those words again and again in his head.

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

_Luke deserves better._

He thought that if he repeated it enough it would finally sink in and he would be able to let go of the blonde, but as of now…those words were just words. This was going to be even more difficult than he anticipated.

It was a regular day at Memorial. He was doing his rounds; healing the sick and helping the lame walk again. But this day was going to get interesting. Today Luke was coming to see him and he had to think of a way to stay at the hospital. They could not go to the Lakeview and they absolutely could not go into that elevator. He opened himself up to Luke that day. Up until then they had managed to keep distance between them; no matter how small. But after that day; it was harder and harder for Reid to stay away from Luke. As much as he protested, he wanted Luke to peel back the layers and discover the real him.

Reid was going over a patient's chart when he heard Luke call his name.

"Dr. Oliver!" Reid swallowed and slowly turned to face him. He looked so good. He was wearing a baby blue dress shirt open just enough to entice someone. He smelled even better. Reid had almost forgotten how good he smelled. Reid didn't think it was possible, but Luke smelled spicy, sweet, and clean all at the same time. Reid had tried many times to see Luke's cologne regime, but he never did manage to find out what combination of products Luke used.

"Where's your suit and tie?"

"And why would I need one? Not many calls for snazzy dress in the OR." Reid tried to flippant without being cruel, he wasn't sure how well he was doing.

"We have a meeting with the architect for the new wing today. You forgot didn't you? We have to sign off on the preliminary plans if we want the wing to get underway."

"I'm quite busy here. Have him send me the plans and I'll look them over."

"This meeting was all arranged, he's waiting for us at the Lakeview."

"Look, I know that bullying people gets you want you want, but I have a job, I can't just leave whenever I want."

"I know that you are a world renowned neurosurgeon, but it is my money that is getting this wing built and I think that entitles me to make a few requests. One being that you come with me for a one hour meeting to go over the new plans."

"And others?"

"Huh?"

"You said 'requests' and you only named one. What are these requests?" Reid used air quotes to accentuate his point. Reid missed this back and forth with Luke so much. Sure they teased each other, but this was what he was missing; the push and pull they had with each other.

"Well, I did some research and talked to a few neurosurgeons…" Luke started to flip through his notes, but Reid cut him off quickly.

"This should be good. Whom exactly did you talk to?"

"Well, a Dr. Channing in Chicago." Luke answered and Reid scoffed.

"Channing? Channing couldn't find his ass with a map and GPS. I am the best for a reason. This wing will be built whether or not we use your "suggestions". Now if you will excuse me. I have a post-op patient that I have to check on." Reid turned to walk away, leaving Luke in the hall. He could hear Luke grunt in frustration. Reid stopped and turned back to him.

"Mr. Snyder." Luke looked over his shoulder and their gazes met. "Reschedule the meeting and leave me a copy of your suggestions in my office."

"You're actually going to look at them?" Luke asked incredulously.

"I can't go into a meeting blindsided can I? I need to know what I'm going to be fighting against."

"Look, Dr. Oliver…" Luke was cut off by the beeping of Reid's pager.

"911 in the ER. Gunshot." He said and then returned the pager to his waistband. "I'll talk to you later, reschedule that meeting." He called over his shoulder as he ran to the stairwell door.

* * *

An hour later Reid was walking out of the ER. Having just saved Dusty Donovan, he deserved a huge sandwich and a beer. He stepped around the corner and saw Luke and Noah talking in the hallway; he was coming in halfway through the conversation. He didn't want to eavesdrop…wait, he totally wanted to eavesdrop.

"Did you meet someone else? Because Luke you don't need my permission."

"No! I'm not even thinking about that, no. The foundation is going to donate a lot of money to hospital."

"What kind of donation?"

"We're going to fund a new neurology wing. So, everything goes as planned, you'll be having your surgery here and not in Dallas. So you can go ahead and say it."

"Say what?" Noah asked, confused as always.

"That you'd wish that I stop trying to interfere with your life."

"Luke. I know that I've said that, but this isn't about me anymore. You're doing something so amazing and it is going to help thousands of people. I may have been the inspiration for your involvement, which I'm taking credit for by the way," Noah teased and they both laughed. "but I'm proud of you."

"Ah, thank you Noah. That means a lot. I'm actually really excited about this. I'm on the board and despite Dr. Oliver's best efforts, I am going to have a say in how it's built."

"See, amazing. Just like you." Noah was laying on the cheese pretty thick and Reid rolled his eyes. If this was the best that Mr. Mayer had been putting up, no wonder it was so easy to snatch Luke away from him.

"It's been awhile since you said anything like that." Luke ducked his head down, wanting to hide his blushing from any passerby.

"Well, just because I haven't said it in awhile, doesn't mean that I don't feel it." Luke put his hand on Noah's forearm and lightly brushed the inside of the brunette's wrist. Noah gave him a lopsided smile and Reid had seen enough. He walked closer to the two men and decided to break up this little party.

"Quick and dirty, just the way I like it."

"He's going to be ok?"

"Of course. Mr. Donovan is going to live to see another day."

"What? Dusty got shot?" Noah asked; Luke must not have told him.

"Yeah, it was a good thing that I was here when he came in. He should be fine in a few weeks. I'm sorry that I missed our appointment today."

"No, it's perfectly fine. Thank you for saving my friend, my appointment can wait." Noah said with a laugh. He seemed genuinely happy about Dusty's condition; happy and Noah never seemed to be in the same sentence as far as Reid was concerned, or maybe that was just when he was around the doctor.

"If you talk to my assistant, she can reschedule our appointment."

"Thank you, I'll do that now. I'm going to go see Dusty and check on him. Thank you Dr. Oliver." Noah said and then continued down the hall towards the nurse's station.

"I don't believe you. You save someone's life and act it like it's just another day at the office."

"It's what I do." Reid said and couldn't help but smile.

"I've just never seen you be modest before."

"That's because I'm not usually. I'm the best at what I do, I can't help it." Both grew silent and just stood in the hall until Reid broke the silence.

"Did you manage to reschedule the meeting?"

"Huh?" Luke asked; brought back to their conversation.

"With the architect?"

"Yeah, he's going to meet us…" Luke was cut off by a short man in a dark blue suit.

"Dr. Oliver?"

"Yeah, that's me." Reid answered quickly. His stomach dropped when he saw the guy.

"You've been served." He said resolutely and handed Reid a white envelope. He knew what it was and was dreading this day and this particular envelope. He opened it up and got it over with. This was the moment that every doctor fears. The day that they are sued by a former patient's family. He fought for Annie and now her father was suing him.

"What is that?" Luke asked, leaning forward a bit hoping to get a glimpse.

"It's, ah, I'm being sued for malpractice."

"By who?"

"Dennis Judd. He feels I was incompetent in my treatment of his daughter."

"That's ridiculous! I have never met a doctor more dedicated than you."

"Thank you for your vote of confidence Mr. Snyder, but I don't think that your testimony will make this go away. If you'll excuse me." Reid said and walked away. He didn't want to talk about this, not today. He had just had emergency surgery that saved Dusty Donovan. Any other doctor it wouldn't have been as successful, but he did it. Reid knew what was coming. He was going to get suspended and lose the respect of his chief of staff. Luke would come to his rescue and they would fly to Dallas. He had to stay strong. He needed to keep himself in check. Maybe if he did that, it would become second nature. He wouldn't relapse and end up hurting Luke in end.

He needed to stick to this.

For Luke.

* * *

If there was one thing that Reid needed, was coffee. He still was having a hard time sleeping in his old bed. He made a mental note to buy a new bed. He thought about that ridiculous bed as he walked to Java for his afternoon dose of caffeine. When he and Luke moved into their house, Luke insisted on buying a new bed. Reid thought it was a waste of money; they each had two perfectly fine beds to choose from, but Luke insisted. After much prodding, Reid agreed to spend one of his days off shopping for a new one. They tried hard ones, soft ones, posturepedic and memory foam, feather top and pillow top. They visited every single store in the greater Chicago area. Reid was ready to sleep on a bed make of straw, but Luke convinced him to go to one more store. It was near closing time and they were one of the few couples in the store. Luke told him that if they didn't find something in this one; Reid could pick any bed he wanted and that would be fine.

They came to a long line of beds; all looked exactly the same. Reid laid on one and Luke on the next. Luke's feet hung off the edge of the bed; trying not to get the bed dirty. Reid looked over and saw his beautiful boyfriend lying there, with his eyes closed. He sat up and got to his feet. He laid down next to Luke and lightly brushed his fingers along the edge of Luke's t-shirt; just above his belt. Luke giggled softly and rolled onto his side; pulling Reid with him. They spooned close together and relaxed into the bed. When the salesman came over ten minutes later, he found Luke and Reid asleep. They bought that one and had it delivered the next day.

Reid missed that bed.

* * *

He walked into Java and saw Luke sitting at a small table talking to Dennis Judd. It had been a few days since Judd had court papers served on him and he was not in the mood to talk to him. He was tempted to turn around and leave, but stopped himself from doing so. He walked up to the two men and addressed them both.

"What's going on here?"

"You can't handle things yourself, you send your boyfriend in to pay me off?" Judd asked in an absurdly raised voice.

"What are you talking about?" Reid asked and Luke quickly stood up to clear everything up. Judd was fed up with all of this, especially Reid Oliver.

"I think that there's been a mistake, I never said…"

"I've had enough. I'll see you in court." Judd said and then quickly left the coffee shop. Reid turned to Luke was about to say something when his pager went off.

"I have to go." He simply responded and walked away. He passed Judd as he walked through Old Town on the way to the hospital. He was tempted to tell him the truth. To tell him that Annie haunted him; that he saw her face in every little girl that he saw. He hated himself for not being able to save her, but was so thankful that he was able to give her one more year. He wanted to tell him that his wife gave him a picture of Annie at her memorial service and he carried it all the time. He carried it with all of the other photos of patients he couldn't help.

But he didn't. No matter what he said to the grieving father, nothing would help his heart heal. Not even the great Reid Oliver could heal that.

* * *

A knock on his office door roused him from the patient file he was working on. He looked up as the door opened and Luke came in. He was carrying a cup from Java and a slightly worried look on his face.

"Uh, here, this is for you." He said and extended the cup towards Reid. He took it from him and their fingers brushed ever so slightly. Reid felt his heart drop and then jump back up into his chest. "A caramel latte with whipped cream and an extra shot. I figured there was a reason you came into Java."

"Don't tell anyone I drink this. Thanks."

"It was really a peace offering, an apology."

"For?"

"For talking to Mr. Judd. I have a tendency to overstep. I don't know how to restrain myself sometimes. I can only imagine how angry you are at me."

"Why would I be angry at you?"

"I butted my nose into your business. Just so you know, I wasn't trying to buy him off, I just wanted that lawsuit to disappear." Luke answered while ringing his hands; he only did that when he was nervous.

"Sounds like the same thing to me."

"That sounds like something Noah would say."

"Well, he's a smart guy." Reid responded back; he never realized how much Luke compared him to Noah, even in the beginning.

"You're not mad at me?" Luke asked incredulously.

"No, why would I be mad at you for trying to help me? Who gets angry when someone tries to help them?" Reid asked the question and planted a seed. He knew that Luke would immediately think of Noah after he asked those questions. He wanted Luke to see who Noah really was. If Reid wasn't going to pursue him, he wasn't going to let Noah take his place. "Truthfully, I'm grateful. Very few people would go to bat from me. I appreciate your help, no matter how ill-conceived. So, thank you." He reached out and lightly brushed his hand down Luke's upper arm. Luke didn't recoil or move away.

"Yeah, well, I didn't do it for you."

"Then why did you?" Reid needed to be reminded that _this_ Luke was not the man he married. He needed to hear what Luke was going to tell him, no matter how painful it was.

"For Noah. You're supposed to operate on him and I was afraid that wouldn't happen if you were tied up in a lawsuit." Reid heard the words and had to swallow back the lump in his throat.

"Well, I see. Let's hope you didn't make things worse." Reid was trying to keep himself unattached to Luke and being cold seemed the best way to do that.

"Yeah, let's hope so." Luke said softly, gave Reid one more look, and walked past him leaving the small office. Reid knew what was coming and hoped he had the strength to go through all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...whatta think? Hit review and let me know.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Noah has a breakthrough and Reid tries to keep away from Luke.  
> Stay Tuned!


	6. Grating the Nerves

"Dr. Oliver, do you have a minute?"

"Actually no."

"I just want to talk about one thing. I was going over the plans…"

"I really don't have time for this Mr. Snyder."

"Please. It'll take, just take, just one second, please hear me out." He drew out the last word of his sentence and gave Reid his favorite begging face. This was the face Reid saw when Luke wanted to do something that Reid didn't and Luke always got his way. Just like now. Reid sighed and nodded for Luke to continue. He turned to face the blond as he unrolled the plans for the wing.

"All right. I was going over the plans for the new wing and look here. There's some extra space for overnight rooms for family members of our patients. They can relax and wait for news. Spend the night if they have to."

"We're just supposed to add this to the skyrocketing budget?" Reid stopped himself when he looked at the plans again. He remembered those rooms. He remembered how many of his future patients loved having their families close. It made the healing process so much better for them; especially the younger patients. But he needed to remember to play up the snark when he answered him. "You know that's not a terrible idea." Luke looked at him with complete shock. "Maybe you're not going to be as useless on this project as I thought."

"Well gee doctor, that's just about the nicest thing you ever said to me." Luke teased and Reid couldn't help, but laugh at the joke. It felt nice to share a joke with him. It had been awhile. Even before Reid came back here, he and Luke hadn't shared many laughs in quite a while, but this was a nice treat.

"Luke?"

"Hey Noah." Luke stepped back from Reid and Reid almost groaned. Of course, tall, dark, and boring would ruin their moment.

"And Doctor Oliver?"

"That's me."

"Wow you guys are actually sharing a joke. What did I miss?" Noah asked and Reid watched Luke for a moment. He looked down at his feet as if he was embarrassed to be sharing a laugh with Reid. Like he was cheating on Noah with Reid. Perhaps that was the whole problem when he and Luke got together last time. That Luke thought he was betraying Noah by spending time with Reid.

"There's no joke. Just an unexpected surprise."

"Really? What was that?"

"Doctor Oliver didn't completely hate one of my ideas for the new wing."

"You're kidding."

"Yeah, no one was more surprised about it then I." Reid remembered this conversation; the flirting. This was the first time that he realized that Luke may feel the same way about him as he did about Luke. That he was not alone in his attraction. But this time he needed to stay back and not reveal that to Luke. It was exhausting to keep himself hidden. Especially from Luke.

"Don't worry Doctor Oliver, I'm sure that my other ideas won't be nearly as good. So never fear." Luke quickly injected into the conversation. He was always cutting himself down. It pissed Reid off to no end that Luke saw himself in such a bad light. He wanted to say something to contradict him, but stopped himself. He could not lead him on. He decided to go with vague.

"Well, we'll see about that one." Reid said in a flat voice and turned to Noah. "I see you're early for our appointment."

"Yeah, I guess I'm finding my way around this place."

"That's because you're putting your mind to it. You always got a lot accomplished when you did that." Luke was always stroking Noah's ego and it drove Reid insane. He hated it then and he hates it now. Reid couldn't help but grind his jaws together to keep his mouth shut. Reid looked over and saw Noah getting uncomfortable, but it wasn't coming from a humble place; like it would with Luke. It was coming from a place where he didn't want Luke's attention; like when you are hit on by a guy you don't want attention from. Reid wondered why Luke never saw it.

"So, what was the idea that Doctor Oliver liked?"

"Go ahead and tell him Mr. Snyder." Reid said and wanted to push Luke to tell Noah about it. Luke was smart and Reid didn't think that Noah could see that, but Luke's phone rang, ending this conversation.

"It's my mom, I have to take this." He said after taking his phone out of his pocket. He placed a hand on Noah's shoulder in a comforting way.

"Good luck at your appointment." He said and quickly stepped away. Reid watched Noah step away from Luke's touch; almost shrugging off his hand. Mr. Mayer just seems to rub Reid the wrong way. Reid suddenly has the thought, is it rude to push a blind man? Reid could see that Noah was going to try to make small talk.

"So, how are plans coming on the new wing?"

"Slowly as these things always go." Reid was trying to keep the venom out of his voice. He hoped that he was being polite, but of course Reid had a terrible compass for that.

"Must be tough, you working so closely with Luke."

"Why do you say that?"

"You've never kept it a secret that you dislike him."

"Yeah, well, that aside. Mr. Snyder is very smart and he knows what people coming into the hospital need and I would be a fool if I didn't take his ideas into consideration." Reid told him plainly and Noah swallowed heavily in embarrassment. Reid smiled softly when he saw how uncomfortable Noah became. A small part of Reid hoped that maybe Noah would began to treat Luke differently after this. "Why don't you go into this exam room and I will be right there." Reid helped Noah into the room and closed the door. He gave Luke one last look while the blonde walked towards the elevators and felt his heart tug a little.

* * *

Reid looked down at Noah's patient file. He really dreaded going along with this. It wasn't that he hated Mr. Mayer; he hated the way he treated Luke. He hated all the snide comments and put downs. They always seemed to fight about the same things. Things in their connected past that they could not change and not let go. He hoped that he would be able to intervene and keep them from getting back together now that he had pulled himself out of the running. He took a long breath and walked into the exam room.

"OK, Noah let's see where we stand here." Reid said and then pulled Noah's last scans from his file.

"So, just how involved will Luke be in the new wing?"

"So far, a lot, but he's been very generous with his money, so that affords him a lot of control."

"That's one thing that Luke has always been good with, paying for things."

"I don't see it that way."

"How do you see it?" Noah asked, not even trying to hide his confusion.

"Many people in Mr. Synder's position would take the money and run. Live it up, but Mr. Snyder is doing the opposite. He is giving it away to help others. That's something to be admired, not admonished." Reid as he stepped around the exam table to face Noah. Noah's face did not hide much and that was the third time this afternoon that Reid had managed to make Noah stumble in his opinion of Luke. It felt like quite a victory. "Ok, eyes straight forward. I want to check your irises and corneas with a pen light." As Reid raised the light and shined it into Noah's eye, he could see the man flinch and pull away slightly. "Did you just react to the light?"

"I'm not sure. It wasn't the same as before."

"Describe it to me."

"It was like a flash of white or something. It's not completely dark. Is that good?"

"It ain't bad." Reid tried not to get to excited. Despite it all, Noah was his patient and him getting well was a priority and he was glad that Noah was getting better.

"Does this mean that I'm getting my sight back." Noah was getting excited and could barely contain it.

"Easy Noah, don't go out and get the new wide screen just yet."

"Well, what does it mean?"

"Your reaction to light could be for any number of reasons. But it does suggest that there is some elasticity of the brain."

"What does it mean for my surgery?"

"It's a very good precursor. It means that you will take to the after-surgery treatment even better. It means that I am even more optimistic then I was."

"If you're optimistic, I'm ecstatic!"

"Relax, don't try to hug me or anything." Reid stepped back to Noah's chart and made a few notes. Reid's next question was a test. Was he laying things out just right? Would Noah take the bait? "Is there anyone you want me to call? Someone you want to share the news with?"

"You mean like Luke?"

"You said it not me."

"I don't know. I don't think that be the right message to send. I don't think that would be fair to him." Noah said and Reid was almost impressed. He was actually being kind to Luke's feelings.

"Well, we made a step here today Noah. You should be hanging on to that."

"Dr. Oliver, thank you."

"Don't thank me. I didn't do anything. It's your brain. I'll see you in a few days."

"Dr. Oliver." Noah said and opened his arms.

"No hugs." Reid teased and left the exam room. He stepped into the hall and decided to make a phone call. The first time he lived this, he went home and talk to Katie. She was able to see that Reid was developing feelings for Luke. He needed to be sure that Katie never saw it. He needed to keep her out the equation completely. Her knowing of his feelings made things much more complicated and she pushed him to see Luke differently. That pushing helped him open up to Luke and brought them together. Reid pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Can you hold on for a minute? I have another call that I have to take. Thanks." Luke said politely and clicked over to his other call. "This is Luke."

"Mr. Snyder, this is Doctor Oliver, there is something I need to tell you."

"About my brilliant idea, I've got tons more where that came from." Luke said and Reid could almost hear him smiling.

"No, it's about Noah."

"What about him?" Luke asked, worry heavy in his voice and Reid tried to quell his dismay at that.

"We had some good news today."

"Really? What?"

"You should ask him and you didn't hear this from me." He quickly hung up and slid his phone into his back pocket. It felt odd to push Luke towards Noah at this moment, but Luke needed to know how Noah was spending his afternoon. He needed to see just how high Noah placed him. Luke just needed to see.

* * *

Reid finished his rounds, checked one more patient, and then made his way to Al's. He wanted to see how Luke handled Noah in Al's. As he walked through Old Town, his mind drifted back to the last time. When he saw the two men through Al's window last time, they were holding hands and Luke kissed him on the cheek. They looked happy, like the perfect couple he first thought they were. Knowing now how things really were, he hoped Luke thought enough of himself to walk away.

He came up to them and saw that Luke was sitting back with his arms crossed. He could tell that Luke was fuming. Reid hated to admit it, but he was dancing inside. Reid feared the look that Noah was getting now. Reid knew that when Luke wore that look it was going to cost him. He could remember whole weekends that were ruined because Reid earned that look from Luke. Reid continued to watch them. Luke was starting to shift in his seat. He was trying to keep himself calm even though anger was starting to make his blood boil. Noah was starting to get defensive and Luke was pouting.

Reid felt his stomach knot. Luke was getting hurt right now. He hated to see it. He saw a lot of it when he first came to Oakdale; when Luke and Noah were still together. Reid saw a lot of that when he and Luke were together. That was the one downside to wearing your heart on your sleeve; your emotions are always out there for all to see. Luke's lips curled under; Reid knew that Luke was trying to keep his lip from quivering.

Luke shot forward and was only a few inches from Noah's face. Well, at least Luke was getting angry now. And he should. He was doing all of this for Noah and Noah wasn't being very grateful about it. Luke got up and Noah tried to get him to stay. What was he expecting? Luke would play third wheel on his date. Reid watched Luke say one more thing to Noah and left the diner. Noah sat in silence and Reid knew that Luke had left him with some food for thought. Luke was great at the parting shot. He just seemed to leave you thinking or feeling like crap. From the look on Noah's face, Luke had done both to the young brunette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the drama is a starting.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - The boys take a trip to Tex-as.  
> Stay Tuned!


	7. I Need You

Reid was about to go in to check on a head trauma when Bob caught him in the hallway.

"You're back. Nice trip?" Reid asked, making small talk.

"Yes. I need to speak to you about the lawsuit that was filed against you."

"I'm kind of busy right now." Reid was trying to put off the inevitable. He knew what Bob was trying to tell him and he just wanted to put it off. He didn't want to do this right now.

"The man that filed the lawsuit has lodged a complaint against you. An investigation has been opened up into the death of Annie Judd and, under hospital policy, that means you are under suspension until this can be cleared up."

"This is unbelievable. Does your policy or board know that you are putting people in danger the longer that I am kept out of the operating room?"

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Bob was trying to defuse Reid's anger.

"And I'm sure that you didn't vouch for me at all? I think you've been a bureaucrat too long to remember what it's like for real doctors. " Reid was still angry about this. The whole situation always made Reid angry. Reid remembered how Bob wanted him to stay in Oakdale so badly, but Reid felt abandoned by him. At the time he had been starting to trust others and to have Bob seemingly turn his back on him; Reid felt like a fool.

"I understand your anger, but what you're insinuating is not called for."

"All right come with me and keep your mouth shut." Luke jumped in and grabbed onto Reid's biceps and pulled him away from Bob and the heated argument.

"What the hell are you doing? Let go of me!" Next thing Reid knew he was being pushed into the fourth floor staff locker room. Reid tried to ignore the warm feeling he got in his stomach when Luke touched him. Luke shut the door tight and Reid wretched his arm away from Luke's grip. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I was in the middle of a conversation my chief of staff."

"I'm saving you from yourself, because you can't stop running your mouth."

"I'm already on suspension because of Judd and his lawsuit and now Doctor Hughes, who fought so hard to keep me here, is turning his back on me."

"Can you stop being so outraged and just try to toe the line?" Luke was desperately trying to get Reid to see reason and play well with others.

"Can you try keep out of business that has nothing to do with you?" He was yelling at Luke and he didn't want to.  He didn't the first time and he didn't want to this time.

"The first thing you have to do is respect Doctor Hughes, of anyone in this hospital he will always be on your side; whether you deserve or not."

"You don't get it! He could have fought for me, but he is choosing not to. He's sticking his head in the sand. I'm the one who is going to lose my career not him. Do you have any idea what an allegation like this can do to me? Might as well just shoot me, would be a hell of lot easier. " Reid said and he felt so vulnerable at this moment; he hated that feeling.

"What are you talking about?"

"If I can't work, if I can't be in the operating room, I've got nothing."

"But you said that these charges were baseless."

"Nobody is listening me."

"Make them listen! Get a lawyer and fight for your job!"

"Can't focus without my work. I haven't had so much as a day off since I started med school. It's all I know. All I am is a doctor, without it I have literally nothing else to hang on to." Reid confessed and could see the look of sadness on Luke's face. He couldn't help it; he was revealing some of himself to Luke. This was one of the worst days of his life and he was being forced to relive it. He wanted to talk to Luke; he wanted Luke's comfort. "That's why Mr. Snyder…I need you."

"You need me? For what?"

"Your name, your money, your power, all of it. I want to use it."

"How?" Luke was so confused as to how he could help him.

"Bribe somebody, blackmail somebody, use your connections, I don't care, just get me back inside an operating room."

"Well, the thing is…" Luke was acting all shy and if Reid wasn't so worked up, he would have kiss him right there.

"I know you don't care about me and why would you, but if you help me I can help Noah. And isn't he the one person in this world that you would do anything for?"

"Please give me time. We will figure this out." Luke lightly touched him on the arm and left Reid alone in the locker room. As soon as the door latched shut, Reid felt his knees shake and he needed to sit down. The adrenaline of the last fifteen minutes rushed out of his system and he could feel his body get weak. He wasn't sure if it was because of how angry he was about the whole suspension or because Luke was showing him a little affection. As much as he was trying to control what was going on this time, there was still a lot of things that were left to chance. Reid just hoped that Luke this time thought the same as he did last time.

* * *

Reid was packing up his locker and he had a thought. He really didn't have much. He always thought that that was a virtue. Never tied down and never dependent on anyone or anything. Medicine was all he needed; that was until he met Luke Snyder. He was introduced to actually having a life and a family. But being Reid Oliver, he ruined it. He ruined everything that he and Luke had. This time was going to be different.

He was about halfway through packing up his locker when Luke came back in; looking quite proud of himself.

"Why did you come back here?"

"I need to talk to you. Here's the thing, I'm not going to do anything illegal, immoral, or underhanded, even if it's for the right reason. I've done it before; it never turns out the way I want it to and I never feel good about myself afterwards. It makes me feel like Damian Grimaldi's son."

"Well, you are Damian Grimaldi's son."

"But you called me Mr. Snyder for a reason."

"Did you have this change of heart before or after I asked for you help? You were willing to do whatever you needed to for Noah, but because I asked, you changed your mind."

"I am not proud of what I did and you know that. But I may have an alternative that you will like."

"Such as?" Reid knew where this was going and Luke was not going to come with this time.

"My grandmother has friends in the right places. I asked her for help and because she loves me, she made a few calls."

"To whom?"

"The Texas Medical Review Licensing Board. They scheduled an emergency hearing. So you have to go and you have to fight. Well, I guess you, fighting, and saying that you're right probably wouldn't be very hard for you." Reid was speechless again. To see how selfless Luke was even this early in their relationship was something to marvel at. How could Noah think that he was selfish? "This is the part where you say thank you."

"Ah, thank you." Reid said when he finally found his voice.

"Well, don't schedule any surgeries just yet, we've got a lot of work to do."

"We?"

"You're not doing this alone. I'm going to Dallas with you."

"That is not necessary."

"Really? Because in the matter of few seconds you almost got your chief of staff to knock you on your back."

"Be that as it may, I do not need a babysitter."

"I think you do. There is no negotiating on this one. You need me, my help. I'm going with you. I already called and my grandmother's jet is being fueled as we speak. So you better go get packed. We've got a plane to catch." Luke said quite proud of himself; he was lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. Reid turned to his locker and tried to conceal the smile on his face. He was finally seeing the guy he fell in love with. Not the guy that was Noah Mayer's boyfriend.

* * *

"What are we doing in Old Town, I thought we were going to the airport." Reid said to Luke as they walked towards Al's. They had stopped at their respective homes and grabbed a few things for their trip. Reid had one carry-on bag and Luke had two, plus his laptop bag. Reid never did understand why Luke had to pack so much. On their first trip away, they were going to be gone for two weeks and Reid had one beg to check. Luke on the other had packed four bags. Reid never did figure out what Luke had packed and why he needed four bags.

"I ordered us some take-out from Al's."

"Really?"

"You have a problem with Al's?"

"No, it's just it being your grandmother's private plane and all; I thought they'd have white-glove-in-flight catering. You know, borsht, caviar, whatever it is that you people eat."

"That's not really my style," Luke said laughing. "I ordered chil-ay." Luke said in a silly voice, Reid had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

"With cornbread?"

"Yeah."

"Excellent. Well, while you're doing that I'm going to run and get some magazines for the flight."

"Well, don't be long."

"It's a private plane, can't they wait."

"Just go." Luke said and turned to walk into Al's. Reid hung back and then followed Luke towards Al's. He wanted to see how Luke handled himself with Noah's date. He looked into the window and saw Luke walk into Al's and up to the counter. The waitress came over and handed Luke his white take-out bag. He could see the two brunettes sitting at a table near the windows. Reid could see the anger and hurt on Luke's face as he watched Noah for a moment. Both men were laughing and Luke's jaw clenched slightly. He walked through the door and came to stand right by Reid. The doctor wasn't even sure if Luke knew he was there until he talked to him.

"Are we going or not?"

"Yeah." Luke's voice was so soft Reid almost didn't hear it. Luke nodded slightly and they walked towards Luke's waiting car. They rode in silence and didn't say anything until they were in the air.

* * *

Reid looked up at Luke as they flew to Dallas. Having conquered his fear of enclosed places, the flight was proving rather uneventful. He could see that Luke was upset after seeing Noah on his date. The blonde did the same thing he always did when he was upset; he chewed on the inside of his lower lip. It was sort of an unconscious thing. Luke probably didn't realize it was his tell. Despite the fact that he was trying not to get close to Luke this time around, Reid wanted to be sure he was ok.

The first time they flew to Dallas, Reid didn't ask about Luke's feelings about seeing Noah with Richard. It wasn't that he didn't care, he just didn't want to hear Luke dissect his and Noah's relationship. Reid never admitted it at the time, but seeing Luke and Noah together made him extremely jealous and he really didn't want to relive all of that again. At the time he had seen enough of them at the hospital, which frankly was all he cared to know. But he was curious to know what Luke was feeling.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked the blonde, not looking up from his magazine.

"Huh? About what?" Luke tried to play it cool. He always felt like Dr. Oliver was evaluating him each time they spent any time together.

"About Noah and that guy he was with."

"Not with you." Luke said tersely and Reid fought the pang of rejection.

"Suit yourself." Reid answered back, trying to sound aloof. He went back to his copy of the American Medical Journal, but he could see Luke was shifting in his seat.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Ah, sure." Reid answered. He knew that Luke would do this and smiled to himself before he lowered his magazine.

"Do you think it would be easier to spend time with someone who didn't love you than be with one who did?"

"I don't know, why do you ask?"

"That's what Noah told me. He said that being with Richard is easier than being with me." Reid knew for a fact now that Noah was an idiot. No one was as easy as Luke was to spend time with.

"In some cases maybe," Reid answered and Luke scoffed. "Richard? Is that the guy's name?" Luke simply nodded and Reid continued.

"Well with Richard there's no expectations. He's only known Noah this way. He can relax with him and not think about all that other stuff. They can just talk without all of the relationship stuff getting in the way. But he still should have told you about him. It was almost like he was hiding him from you." Reid explained and watched Luke for a minute. He could see Luke was mulling over what he told him, thinking about it. Luke looked at him and they locked eyes for a few moments.

"I don't, I, nevermind I asked." Luke quickly said and tried to ignore the nagging feeling in his stomach. Was Noah hiding anything else? Why didn't he say anything about making a friend at therapy? Luke and Noah told each other everything and if their relationship was just a friendship, why _**didn**_ _ **'**_ _ **t**_ Noah mention him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, whatta think?  
> Let me know how I'm doing.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - The boys spend a little time in a hotel room and do a little drinking.  
> Stay Tuned!


	8. Two Guys, a Bar, and a Phone Call

Luke checked into his room and insisted that they work together to get his testimony figured out. Reid wanted to go to his condo and not even do this. He knew how he was going to handle the review board tomorrow and he didn't need to rehash everything with Luke.

But the truth was, he wanted to spend time with Luke. He wanted to be around almost as much as he didn't want to. It was almost as it had been when he and Luke were dancing around their mutual attractions to each other. He figured, how hard could it be to spend time with him and not let it go that far. Keep it totally professional.

Reid had all of his files with him. They went over everything to get all the details fresh in his mind before tomorrow. Not like he needed help. He would forever remember all that happened to Annie and everything he did to save her. They went over all the orders he made on her behalf and how she reacted to everything. After going over everything for the fifth time, he decided he needed to go back to his condo and get some sleep.

"I'm going back to my place to watch some tv and get some sleep." Reid said as he started to collect his files from across Luke's bed.

"Not until we go over your testimony one more time."

"Annie Judd died, I did everything that I could to save her. I have the facts and figures to back me up."

"That's not the problem. You and I both know that you have everything medical covered, but you need to go over the other part of your testimony. The emotional part."

"For the love of…"

"I'm serious Dr. Oliver. This is more than just science. Look, Annie was not just a number; she was a little girl. You knew her; you did everything you could to save her. And when she died, it broke your heart." Luke said and Reid had almost forgotten how accurate Luke had been in his assessment of his feelings towards Annie's death. How could he know all that? He was able to read him so well. It was almost unfair.

"I don't let me feelings get in the way of my work." It was a pathetic attempt and Reid knew, but he had to try to stop Luke from getting too close.

"See, I think you feel a lot more than you let on. And how you tell her story, will be the difference between you keeping your medical license and losing it. And by doing this right, you will be able to convince them that them taking away your license, they will be killing people." Luke always was one with a flair for the dramatic, but he wasn't wrong.

"She had a nice smile; Annie."

"Nice?"

"Brave. Like she knew we were worried for her. She wanted us to know that everything was going to be all right. I was one causing her pain; cutting into her skull; sticking her with needles; ordering chemo. But she always lit up when I walked in the room." Reid laughed at the sight of the little girl, sitting on her bed, surrounded by crayons strewn across the bedspread. "I miss that smile. Nobody smiles when I walk in a room. Most of the time they act like I'm the grim reaper and I'm ok with that. But I didn't want to be that for Annie. I miss Annie. The world misses her and because I couldn't save, they'll never know it."

"People think that you're a brilliant doctor because you're fearless. They don't know it's because you care so much." Luke said in a quiet voice. Reid looked over and didn't even realize that Luke was sitting so close to him. When he sat down, Luke was sitting on the other side of the mattress, but now they were sitting so close that their shoulders were touching. He needed to create a little distance between them.

"You sound like a self-indulgent celebrity therapist."

"Why do you do that? You came so close to being a real human, with real emotions and you just go right back to being a jerk."

"Well, you're wrong again Mr. Snyder, I'm always a jerk."

"What's wrong with you?" Luke almost demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"After all this time, you can't call me by my first name?"

"Oh come on. I don't have time..."

"My name is Luke, just say it." Reid brushed past Luke and tried to ignore the sparks that seemed to shoot straight through him whenever he got close to Luke. He hoped that he could get out of this room as soon as he could.

"What does matter what I call you?" He asked and started to put files back into his briefcase.

"Mr. Snyder," Luke grabbed the files out Reid's hands and rapped them against the desk, "is my father. I'm Luke."

"Can I have my files back please?" He nearly forgot how frustrating Luke was.

"You call Noah by his first name?" Luke asked; extended the pile of documents to Reid before he snatched them away again.

"Noah is my patient."

"So?"

"It's a simple well-defined relationship; it's patient-doctor; it's clear."

"And what does that make us then?" Luke was close to him again; he could almost smell his mouthwash.

"We are nothing. We are working together on the new wing; we're colleagues, not friends." Reid could see a bit of the playful light in Luke's eyes dim just slightly; the blonde looked away. He almost buckled again. He almost told him that he is in love with him, but knew that he needed to go through with this. "I'm tired of explaining myself. I need to get some sleep. Thank you for helping me prep for the hearing."

"You sure you're ready for this?"

"Yeah, have to be. Goodnight Mr. Snyder."

"Goodnight Reid." Luke purposely used his first name. Luke was not going to let this go and he knew that they were more than colleagues, but what they were, he wasn't sure.

* * *

Reid took a deep breath and knocked on Luke's hotel room door. Last night after they arrived, they holed up in Luke's room and went over everything that pertained to Annie case. They sat in Luke's room all night going over the procedure and the results. Luke was beginning to know the ins and outs of the case almost as well as Reid did. He tried to keep his distance, not wanting to lead Luke on in any way. Reid just hoped that he would be able to talk to the board the same way he did last time. He could conceivably lose his license this time. He just had to be the man that Luke always knew he was.

Even if _this_ Luke didn't.

Reid had purposely waited an extra ten minutes. He knew he wouldn't be able to be as reserved as he was the last time. It was hard enough not wanting to grope Luke with his clothes on. Seeing him near naked would be too much for even him to take. He knocked again and the door opened. Luke was dressed and Reid was relieved. He handed Luke his cup of coffee and followed him inside.

"You know what you're going to say?"

"The truth…"

"Very funny. Just don't get too clinical."

"I'll just keep repeating my mantra…don't be an ass." Reid said without thinking.

"That's weird. I was just about to say that exact same thing." Luke said with an amused smile. One of Reid's faves.

"Yeah, that's something. Can we just go?" He asked looking away from the adorable blonde.

"Yeah." Luke said as he grabbed his suit jacket and slid it on. Reid's phone rang and he pulled it out; knowing exactly who it was.

"Dr. Oliver."

"I am so glad that I caught you. I just found out today that you had been suspended. What going to happen now?" Noah asked, worry heavy in his voice.

"There's nothing to worry about Noah. The hearing is just a formality. Mr. Judd just wants to be sure that someone is paying attention."

"Yeah, but you could lose your license right. That's what they're going to decide today."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. It's just for appearances sake. They're not going to take away my license; it would cost too many people their lives."

"But if it should happen, by some fluke, what then? And before you ask, not just talking about my surgery. I know how important this hearing is for you, you shouldn't have to go through it alone."

"I'm not." Reid said and looked at Luke while he stood near the window, listening to their conversation. "I have a colleague here to help me through it. Not to worry, everything will work out just fine."

"Well, good luck and I'm still going to worry."

"Fair enough and thanks." The doctor disconnected the call and slid his phone back into his pocket.

"What did Noah have to say?" Luke asked expectedly.

"Ah, you know, wishing my luck that everything went well. You ready to go?"

"Hold on one second." Luke said as he turned Reid to face him. He lightly brushed at the front of Reid's suit jacket, clearing away any lint that may have been there. He looked at the redhead for second and a soft smile came across Luke's face. "You're going to be great."

"Easy for you to say."

"No, it's not." Luke said quietly.

* * *

The ride back from the hearing was a quiet one. Reid stared out the window from the back seat of their cab and thought about his testimony. He ran what he said over and over in his head. Trying to see if he could have said or done anything different. He was nervous and rightfully so. He could lose his license; again he was in limbo. Next to Luke, being a doctor was what he lived for. His leg bounced as he sat next to the blonde. Luke looked over at the doctor and felt for him.

Luke had conned him into coming to Oakdale. Sure he was now getting a multi-million dollar hospital wing out if it, but his entire life had been uprooted. Luke wasn't sure if he'd ever get Reid's forgiveness for that, but he was going to try. And right now, seeing him this worried, he had an idea. He needed a distraction. Luke fished his blackberry from his pocket and started searching. Then he found what he was looking for.

"Driver, forget about going to the hotel. Take us to….," Luke rattled on and Reid prayed that they weren't going where he thought they were going, but they were. They pulled up in front of the cowboy bar and got out of the cab. Reid groaned inwardly. Seeing Luke riding that mechanical bull had been his jerk off material for weeks afterwards. Reid wasn't sure he wanted to revisit this.

* * *

They walked up to the bar and took their places on a couple stools. The ordered some drinks and returned to silence that was with them in the cab. Reid took off his tie and shoved it in his pocket. He didn't know how to do this. How should he talk to Luke? There was always an undercurrent of sexual tension between them and Reid played that up. Flirting, teasing, and enticing Luke the entire time that they knew each other. Reid didn't know how to do this now. He had to basically do everything the exact opposite way he had the first time.

"How long do you think it will take for them to make their decision?"

"I don't know, but this waiting is killing me." Reid said and then took a drink from his beer. Luke could see concern all over Reid face, even though the doctor was doing a very good job at hiding it. He needed to help take his mind off of it.

"You know what I have always wanted to do?" Luke asked and Reid had a dirty answer at the ready, but he couldn't say that. He decided to keep that to himself.

"What is that?" And before he even had the question out of his mouth, Luke was about to climb up onto the mechanical bull. "What are you doing? You're not actually going to do that are you?"

Luke jumped out onto the bull and tightened his thighs against the bull's sides. The machine kicked to life and Luke held on. The smile on his face was fast and genuine. Reid laughed as he saw Luke give into the bull's rhythm. The blonde's hair swayed as the bull speed up. Reid was sure that he was going to get thrown off. As his ride wore down, Luke slid off the bull; landing on his feet. He bounded back up to the bar, glee apparent on his face.

"And that's how it's done."

"Talk about a worthless skill."

"Bet you couldn't do it."  Luke countered, taunting Reid.

"I assure you I can and have, but why risk hurting my hands to prove a point." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"You keep telling yourself that." Luke teased and then bit down on an ice cube. "You said you have, when was that?" Luke was taking the opportunity to get to know him better. As much as he wanted to see him on that bull, he wanted to get to know him even more.

"A long time ago. In a bar a lot like this. I was on a sort of date with a guy, that I liked a lot, even though he didn't know at the time. I don't think that even _**I**_   knew how much at the time."

"And what happened?"

"I kissed him and, and um," Reid lost his train of thought when he saw how close Luke was paying attention to him. He was about to pick up his last thought when his phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket and saw he had one missed call. He didn't even hear it ring. "It's the medical board. Looks like they've made their decision."

"Oh. Well, let's get out of here." Reid nodded at Luke's suggestion and they went back to the hotel.

* * *

Reid played with his phone. Not knowing what the answer would be was killing him. He could really lose his license this time. He could be without the one thing that defines who he is. He needed to know, but did he have the courage to call. Luke was standing behind him. He could feel him. He never knew that feeling until he met Luke. He could feel everything that he was doing; moving back and forth in the room.

"Are you afraid it's bad news?"

"I wish I didn't care this much. This phone call…it's everything. It's Noah surgery, the new wing, my career, it's my life. What if they tell me I can't practice medicine anymore?"

"Then we keep fighting. You are way too obnoxious to lie down and die." Luke joked and Reid laughed. He still found that funny.

"I've worked my whole life to become what I am. I need my work, with those highs and lows, without it I'm…"

"…you're going to be fine. Make the call." Luke lightly rubbed Reid back and the doctor let out a long breath. He hit "Return Call" on his cell and waited for the phone to connect him.

"Yeah, this is Dr. Reid Oliver returning Dr. Vasko's call." Reid listened while Dr. Vasko told him about the board's decision and what that meant for Reid's future. "I see. Hmm hmm. I understand. Goodbye." He disconnected the call and slid the phone into his pocket.

And this was the moment. He could kiss Luke and start something with him or not. He had a second to decide their fates.

"Well?"

"I'm reinstated." Reid said in almost shock.

"You're kidding! That's fantastic! I knew you would be." Luke said cheerfully and did something that surprised them both. He bridged the gap between them and pulled Reid into a hug. Reid was surprised at first, but quickly recovered and hugged him back. The two men reveled in the feeling of being in each other's arms for a minute or two, but it was Luke who pulled away.

"Oh god. I'm sorry Reid. I was just so excited for you. I'm sorry that I overstepped."

"No, it's fine Mr. Snyder. I'm not offended or anything." Reid tried to calm him; he could see Luke's cheeks blush in embarrassment.

"So, what did they say?" Luke asked as he ran his hand through his blonde hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Vasko said they're going to keep the investigation open. Why? I have no idea. I'm certainly not guilty of malpractice. Which they're going to discover."

"Well, let's get out of here and go home. I can call the airport and get the jet fueled up for us." Luke pulled out his phone and quickly dialed his pilot. He was still embarrassed that he had actually hugged the doctor, but it was something that he had wanted to do for a while. Luke wondered what would have happened if he had the courage to do what he really wanted.

If he had kissed him.

Luke decided that was something he would just have to wonder about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, whatta think? Any good? Hit review and let me know.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Things heat up between the boys!  
> Stay Tuned!


	9. Under the Knife

Reid pulled his suitcase from the back of Luke's car and dropped it by his feet. Luke was standing next to the rear passenger door and watched as Reid closed the trunk.

"This never would have happened without you. I don't know how to thank you. Really, Mr. Snyder. Thank you." Reid said wholeheartedly. He was so grateful and he hoped that Luke knew how much.  Luke ducked his head and tried to hide his reddening cheeks.  He looked so adorable when he blushed; Reid had to tighten his fist to keep from grabbing him right there.

"You're welcome. I'm glad that I could help you and that you accepted my help. For a second I wasn't sure if you'd accept my help. I know you don't like me."

"That's not true." Reid quickly said and Luke's eyebrows rose. Reid quickly tried to fix is error. "I haven't insulted you for at least 48 hours now."

"Yeah, what happened?" Luke asked in a teasing tone.

"You get enough of that from Noah. It's not fair to pull it on."

"You're wrong. Noah and I are ok."

"He kicked you out. You call that ok?"

"If that's what he needs." Luke said and his tone proved that he didn't quite believe it himself.  Luke crossed his arms and tried to not show how uncomfortable this conversation was making him.

"What he needs is to do is learn some gratitude. But no, he is still punishing you for his accident."

"But it was my fault. He was messing with fireworks, I was distracting him, if he was totally focused on that instead of me."

"Everything you've done since then doesn't matter. Getting him into rehab, kidnapping the finest neurosurgeon in the country to do his surgery."

"Full of yourself much?" Luke was getting really uncomfortable now.

"I'm just saying, for him to keep dumping on you after everything you've done, frankly its rude."

"You're not blind and you're rude. What's your excuse?" Luke just wanted this conversation to be over.

"Why are you sticking up for him?"  A question that Reid was really wanting an answer to.  In all the years they were together, Luke never could answer that one.

"Because you're talking trash about him."

"I'm just speaking the truth, it's time someone stuck up for you. Has anyone ever done that for you?"

"I'm fine."

"Noah's blaming you, you're letting him; you're both idiots."

"And now you're back to insulting me. I knew it."

"Accidents happen. They're not always somebody's fault. It's not ok for Noah to beat up on you; calling the shots, while you put your life on hold waiting for him to come around. Aren't you sick of that yet? You sure as hell should be." Luke mulled over what Reid said. He didn't want to admit that he was right. As much as he wanted to help Noah and start a life with him, he knew that Noah's behavior wasn't fair. He hated feeling guilty all the time and he was angry at Noah for putting him there.

"I think I better go."

"Look, I'm sorry about…"

"…no; it's fine. I'll see you later. Goodnight Reid." Luke got into his car and looked at the doctor before he started the car.

"Goodnight Mr. Snyder." Reid said and Luke got feel his heart tighten slightly. It hurt that Reid was still calling him Mr. Snyder even after all of this.

* * *

Luke was halfway home when he heard his phone ringing. He grabbed it from his pocket and then he realized it wasn't his phone. He pulled over and listened again. The ringing was close. It was coming from the passenger seat. He dug his hand into the edge of the seat and pulled out Reid's phone. He figured he'd better answer it.

"Dr. Oliver's phone."

"Luke?"

"Noah, hey. We just got back from Texas and he's been reinstated."

"That's great considering my surgery is tomorrow."

"Really? I had no idea."  Luke couldn't hide the confusion in his voice.

"Yeah. Wait. Did you just say that 'we just got back'? Were you the colleague that he was talking about?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to make a big deal out it."

"That is so you."

"What is?" Luke was so frazzled that Noah knew about his trip to Dallas.

"Putting aside your feelings for someone else."

"Yeah, well, I'll be thinking about you tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"But you want to talk to Reid."  Luke wanted this conversation to end.

"It's "Reid" now?"

"Yeah, he left his phone in my car."

"You know what Luke, don't worry about it. It's not a big deal. I was just checking in, um, he doesn't have to call me back." And Noah hung up leaving Luke dumbfounded.

* * *

Luke was angry and his driving showed it as he sped back to Reid's place. He didn't want to wait for the elevator and quickly ran up the four flights of stairs. Reid was just about to dig into his just delivered pizza when there was knocking on the door. He stepped across the room and opened it to find Luke standing there; wearing one of his drama queen bitch faces. Reid swallowed and let Luke start.

"You left your phone in my car." He extended the phone to Reid, who quickly grabbed it. "You also got a call and I answered it for you."

"Oh. Who was it?"

"Noah. You didn't tell me his surgery is tomorrow."

"No, I didn't." Reid said plainly and walked back towards his cooling pizza.

"And why exactly did you keep that from me?"  Luke followed him into the apartment, not even bothering to close the door.

"I didn't keep anything from you."

"Why didn't you tell me that Noah's surgery is tomorrow?" Luke was trying not to get too dramatic. He wanted Reid to give him a reasonable explanation.

"Family members are privy to that information and you are decidedly not family."

"But when did you plan this? You obviously knew about this before we went to Texas."

"I'm not discussing my patient with you."

"We were just talking about him, you brought him up." Luke could not believe the audacity.

"We weren't talking about his medical care."

"My ex may get his eyesight back tomorrow, but we can't talk about that, but you are free to tell me reasons why Noah and I shouldn't be together."

"Ah, yeah, that about sums it up."  He answered quickly, his mouthful of deluxe pizza.

"Unbelievable."  Luke walked back to the door and into the hall.  Reid got up and followed him.

"You're acting like I'm the only one who knew about the time and date of this surgery. Noah knew. Did he call you? Did he ask for your loving support?"

"No," but before Luke could say anything else, Reid cut him off.

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't break doctor-patient privilege to tell you something. But I think that you should direct this anger at who it belongs to. Goodbye Mr. Snyder." With that Reid shut the door and left Luke in the hall.

* * *

Luke decided to go home after his conversation with Reid. Why did he care what Dr. Oliver thought of him? Or what he thought of Dr. Oliver? Luke had been trying to play nice with Reid for months and he thought he was making some headway. He was doing all of this for the wing and for Noah; or at least he thought he was. He hated to admit it, but he enjoyed spending time with him. Reid didn't know anything about his past and what he did know about, he didn't hold it against him. He judged him by his whole self, not the sum of his parts.

He didn't have any expectations about Luke. Kind of like the way Noah liked to spend like with Richard. Luke suddenly felt stupid for getting upset about Noah wanting to spend time with Richard. Luke finally arrived home and was surprised by a guest on his patio. Noah was sitting there; nervously fidgeting with his cane.

"Luke? Is that you?"  Noah could smell Luke's cologne as he got closer.  Ah, he missed that smell.

"Yeah. Why don't you come on in?" Luke opened the door and allowed Noah to enter in front of him. "How long have you been out there?"

"I don't know. Ah, not that long." Noah answered and Luke could tell he was nervous by his stammer.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Ah, no. I'm fine thanks." Noah turned to face Luke after the blonde had finished closing the door.

"What are you doing here?" Luke was so confused in this moment. Noah had made it quite clear several times now that they were not together. Luke finally got the hint, giving him the space he wanted, and then Noah comes over to his house.

"I'm having the surgery tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know. You told me."

"Well, I've spent this whole time, just thinking about when the surgery was gonna be. I haven't let anything else really penetrate for me until today; and I'm kinda freaking out."  Noah confessed.

"Anybody would be."

"I tried not to call you. I've been pulling away so much and I suddenly just have one bad day." Noah scoffs at his own behavior.

"You could have called."

"I didn't want to go there. So I called Dr. Oliver. He'd give me some grief, but he'd make me feel better and then you answered his phone. And it was like everything fell in place for me."

"What's that?" Luke croaked out.

"I'm scared Luke and you're the only person I want to be with."

* * *

The next day Noah was waiting in his room and Luke was sitting right beside him. They were laughing and Reid was watching all of it from the hallway. They were sitting there, talking into a video camera that Luke was holding. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to free up the burning jealousy in his stomach. He let out a breath and opened the door. Both men looked up and Reid tried to hide how uncomfortable the vision of them together made him.

"Dr. Oliver?" Noah called out to the room.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm here to go over any questions you may have before your surgery." Reid said and then a nurse came in with a wheel chair for Noah. Reid could see worry creep into Luke's eyes . "Everything is going to be fine. Isn't that what you dragged me for?" He said directly to Luke, not breaking eye contact for a second. He could see Luke breathe a sigh and his shoulders relaxed. They shared a smile as the nurse helped Noah into his chair.

"I'm ready." Noah said, he was getting more anxious by the minute. "If I was anymore ready, I'd perform the surgery myself."

"Well, you're going to be unconscious, let's leave the actual surgery to me."

"And blind, let's not forget that part."  Noah tried to joke.

"After today you won't be."

"Ok, Noah. Are we ready to head down to the OR?" The nurse asked as the stepped to the back of his chair.

"Luke?" Noah asked, reaching his hand up and Luke quickly grabbed it. "I don't know what to say."

"How about, see you later?"

"Yeah, see you later." He gave Luke's hand one more squeeze and the nurse pushed him out into the hall.

"Don't worry. This is my job. He'll be fine." Reid reassured him and left Luke in Noah's room.

* * *

Luke was pacing back and forth in the waiting area when he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Katie rushing to him.

"Did I miss Reid going to surgery?"

"Yeah, they went in about twenty minutes ago."

"I wanted to give him this before he went in." Katie said and then held up a four-leaf clover charm. Luke laughed and took it from her; slipping it into his pocket. He needed all the luck he could get.

"I don't think he needs luck. He keeps telling everyone that he's the best there is."

"Which is why you don't need to worry, right?" Katie said, trying to reassure the younger blonde.

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

 

Reid stepped into the OR and started to get the rundown on how Noah was doing.

"How's his blood pressure?"

"Still a little high." The nurse answered.

"How we doing Noah?"

"Waiting. Just wondering why we haven't gotten started yet."

"Your blood pressure is spiking. What's wrong? You losing faith in my skills."

"I shouldn't be nervous, but I am."

"Just think about everything that you're going to be able to see when you get out of here. Flowers, trees, birds…"

"…and you. I'll finally see you, what do you look like doctor." Noah said, swallowing heavily.

"Comb over, buck teeth, big old beer belly."

"And a huge uni-brow too, right?"

"Oh come on, who told you about that? Your blood pressure is going down. You just keep those funny pictures in your head all right." He lightly rubbed Noah's shoulder to calm the younger man. Noah's breathing leveled out and within a couple minutes he was asleep. Reid looked at Noah's shaved head and reached for his scalpel. He released a cleansing breath to help himself focus and made his first incision.

* * *

Five hours later, Reid left the OR and found Luke pacing back and forth in front of Noah's room. He looked nervous and uneasy while still trying to appear calm. He swallowed and walked up to him.

"Dr. Oliver. So, how did it go?"

"Well, there were some complications," he saw Luke take a breath, "but it was nothing I couldn't handle. I was able to stop the bleeding before there was any damage. He is in recovery now and will probably be moved into his room in a few hours. I would suggest you go home, get some rest, and come back to see him tomorrow. There really isn't anything else either one of us can do tonight." Reid could see that Luke wanted to protest, but resigned to what the doctor suggested; he was probably right.

"All right," Luke said. Reid turned to walk away, but left Luke grab his arm to stop him. Reid left his heart stop for a second and then beat a bit faster. Reid had hoped that he could keep himself in check around Luke; not let on how much he missed and wanted him.

"Dr. Oliver. Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."

"I think that I do Mr. Snyder." Reid answered in a soft voice. He could feel Luke's fingers curl around his arm a little tighter. "Goodnight." Reid had to get away before he blew all of his hard work and the suppressing of his wants to hell in the middle of the hospital hallway. Luke slowly let go of Reid's forearm and watched the doctor walk away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No cuts. Just the boys. How'd I do?  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Jealous Reid pops up!  
> Stay Tuned!


	10. Broken Confession

Reid took a shower as soon as he got home. He needed to clean off the entire day. He turned up the water as hot as he could stand and let it beat down on him.  Noah's surgery had been a success and he would make a full recovery. Reid knew exactly what to look for and he did his job. There were no complications. So, why did Reid feel so dirty? He felt almost sick to stomach. Luke would not be coming over this time, yelling at him about Noah or pushing him to admit his feelings. He could just picture Luke now. Sitting next to Noah, holding his hand, telling him how much he loves him. Reid shook off the feelings he was having and turned off the water. He was imagining the sandwich and beer that he was about to devour when the doorbell rang.

He quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and went to get the door. He called out that he was coming as he entered the living room. A split second before he opened the door he hoped it was Luke.

And he was right.

"Mr. Snyder?" Reid was surprised that the blonde was really standing there. As much as he had hoped that it had been Luke ringing the doorbell, he was surprised when it was. "Ah, what are you doing here? Is Noah ok? I didn't get a page,"

"No, he's fine. Can I come in?" Reid wanted to say no. He wanted to give Luke a chance to have a normal relationship; a normal life. Reid knew that the more time they spent together, the harder it was to stay away from him. He missed Luke, as he knew he would, but not reaching for him was almost a torture now. His heart overruled his head and he stepped aside to let the blonde come in. Luke pushed his hands into his pockets. Reid knew that this little gesture was one of Luke's tells. He was nervous.

"If Noah's fine, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with him?" Reid put a bit of disdain in his voice. It felt forced and he hoped that it didn't show so.

Luke turned back to face Reid. The older man was still shirtless. As good a body as Noah had, Reid was an entirely different level. The doctor may have been a good 25 pounds lighter than Noah, but he was much more defined. Luke found it extremely distracting. He came to talk to Dr. Oliver and the sight of him half-naked made him lose his train of thought. Reid noticed Luke's hesitation, plus his eye line, not to mention his reddening cheeks and grabbed a shirt from the back of a chair. As he slipped the shirt on, both men had different thoughts.

Luke was relieved that Reid was covering up the temptation.

Reid had a rush of warmth run through him at the thought that despite everything, Luke still found him attractive.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Snyder?" Reid asked as he begun to button his shirt up.

"I wanted, er, I needed to talk to you. About us,"

Reid swallowed hard; he was hoping that it wouldn't come to this. That he could avoid all of this. He decided to play dumb.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean,"

"Yes you do," Luke said plainly and Reid had to swallow to keep his cool. "The looks, the advice you've given me about Noah, the day that Mr. Judd attacked you and you came to my house," Luke said with a confidence that Reid was surprised to see. When he and Luke started up the first time, Luke was unsure about them to some degree until Reid finally told him that he loved him. But to see Luke this resolute already worried Reid. This, his plan, was not going to be as easy as he thought. He may have to hurt Luke to save him in the long run. "You are feeling the same way that I am,"

"And what pray tell is that?" Reid asked and crossed his arms. He knew if he didn't restrict his hands or they would be all over Luke at any moment.

"You're attracted to me as much as I am to you. When I know that I'm going to see you, I'm excited; almost giddy. I feel like a 15 year old with a crush. I find myself trying to think of excuses to go to Memorial to see you. Probably why I've fought you so much on the new wing. Just so I can spend more time with you. You treat me with respect, despite yourself,"

"Mr. Snyder, I don't know what…," Reid needed to stop this, but Luke cut him off.

"Shhh," Luke quieted him.

Reid felt frozen in place, which was why Luke was able to surprise him. Luke swiftly took Reid's face in his hands and pulled him closer. Before Reid could protest, Luke's mouth was caressing his. Reid wanted to push Luke away, but as soon as he felt Luke's absurdly soft tongue on his lips, Reid surrendered. His hands latched onto Luke's hips and pulled their bodies flush together. Luke moaned into Reid's mouth as he felt Reid's hard chest against his. Luke could feel the rest of Reid's body responding to him. This was it. This was exactly what Luke wanted. To feel Reid as excited as he was; it was intoxicating. In that moment he had never felt more desired.

Noah was one thing and Reid was something else entirely. Luke was all Noah knew since he had come out, but Reid had had other men and experiences. He felt incredibly sexy in the moment, that he could turn Reid on that much. Luke was slowly losing himself in Reid's kiss, until the older man pushed him back.

Breathlessly, Luke asked him what was wrong.

"We can't do this," Reid answered not looking Luke in the eye.

"Yes, we can," Luke took a step closer, but Reid stepped further away. "What's going on?"

"You said a lot of nice things about me, but you don't even know me,"

"I know the important parts," Luke quickly responded and Reid almost gasped. How did he know that?

"Mr. Snyder. I'm flattered by the praise and your obvious crush on me, but I don't feel any of that,"

Luke swallowed at the lump in his throat and shook his head in disbelief.

"If you're trying to be noble because of Noah, we broke up. We haven't been together in a long time."

"This has nothing to do with Mr. Mayer. Not at all." Well, at least that was true.

"I can tell you feel the same," Luke said and then looked Reid up and down.

"I'm a human gay man who hasn't had sex in a while. I just had a younger man throw himself at me, of course my body was going to react," Reid said nonchalantly. He was so cavalier about it. He could see that he was hurting Luke. The one thing he didn't want to do. He could see by the look on Luke's face that he was teetering between anger and embarrassment. Luke was 100% right about Reid's feelings, but he needed to hold strong to his plan.

Luke knew he was right. The same way he knew about Noah. He could see it and feel it in every word, look and gesture from Reid. He wasn't alone in this.

"That can't be all," Luke was resolute.

"I don't know what you want me to say Mr. Snyder,"

"Don't call me that!" Luke quickly said. This was not going the way he thought it would. "It's just, I want you. I want to be with you,"

Reid had to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying the same back to him. He wasn't sure what to say. So he went with his gut.

"Well, I don't feel the same,"

"I don't believe you. You're lying," Luke came back. Luke could always tell when Reid wasn't telling the truth. Reid figured it was from living together for so long, but maybe he could always read him so well. Reid didn't answer Luke's accusation to lying, so Luke continued. "Fine. Look me in the eye and tell me that you're not attracted to me. That you don't want me,"

Again Reid had to swallow to keep himself in check. A big part of Reid wanted to throw this whole stupid plan out the window. To grab Luke, take him in his bedroom and never let him go, but he couldn't. He was willing to sacrifice 'them' to make sure that Luke was happy later. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He lied.

"No, Mr. Snyder. I'm not. I don't. I'm sorry,"

He saw Luke step back, almost stagger. He stepped forward to reach out to the blonde, but caught himself. Luke cast his eyes down, avoiding Reid's gaze. Embarrassment coursed through him. Reid's eyes never left him; his face.

"Uh. Wow," Luke said quietly to himself, but Reid still caught it. "I guess, ah, I guess I was wrong," a very quiet nervous laugh escaped his lips.  "I'm sorry I came over here and bothered you. It was stupid," his voice was so downtrodden and broken.  He didn't looked up.  He could feel the embarrassment flowing through.

"No, Luke, you didn't…,"  Reid finally used Luke's first name and he didn't even notice it.

"Please, don't try to make me feel better; makes me feel even more pathetic. I'm gonna go now and I won't bring this up again," Luke said as he started to back towards the door. He still had not looked at Reid. The redhead's heart was bleeding. Luke was humiliated and he just wanted out. Reid wanted him to stay. Hold him until he was able to repair what he had just done to him.

"I'll see you at board meetings and at ah, Noah's appointments," Luke finally looked up and saw pity on the doctor's face. Luke turned quickly and pulled open the door. "Good night Dr. Oliver," he said with a hitch in his voice. Luke had reverted to using 'Dr. Oliver' instead of Reid. He was out the door before Reid could say anything. Luke hurried to his car as he felt the tears start to fall.

* * *

 

"Stupid!" He told himself as he started the car. "What would he want with me anyway?" He chastised himself. "An alcoholic, college dropout with one kidney? If I had gained any credibility with him, it was gone now. Now he sees me as a joke, just like everyone else,"

Luke decided to go home and lick his wounds. Tomorrow was a new day and Noah still needed him, for what it was worth.

Reid made for the door but stopped himself before he turned the handle. He rested his forehead against the door and let out calming breaths. He could still smell Luke in the air and taste him on his lips. He had to push him away. This had to happen if Luke was going to have a normal life with a normal relationship. Luke had to move past his attraction for Reid. He just wished that he didn't have to hurt Luke to do it.

Anymore than he already did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it looks like it's getting harder for Reid to leave Luke alone too.  
> Hope you guys keep coming back.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Reid opens up to Luke about a past relationship.  
> Stay Tuned!


	11. Uneasy Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in a car accident a little over a month ago and now I can finally use the keyboard without too much pain.  
> Hopefully I can get chapters out more frequently.  
> Thanks for sticking with it.
> 
> Well, hope I'm not boring you guys!  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake- Luke comes to a decision and Noah gets ready to go home.  
> Stay Tuned!

Reid's heart was racing and he had a bitter taste in his mouth. He stood with his head resting against the front door for at least ten minutes. His entire body was shaking. He wanted so badly to be back in his old life. The life that Luke knew. But this was for the better. Luke would see that. Luke would be able to have the kind of life he deserved. A long happy life with a partner that was actually a partner for him. Someone who could truly share his life with him. Reid _had_ warned Luke that his job would pull from their time together. Luke said that he would take Reid anyway he could get him. Reid promised that he would work hard to keep Luke a priority, but try as he might, he broke that promise.

He promised Luke now, that he would make this right. He would have the life he deserved.  This was a promise he had to keep.

Reid pushed off the door and continued getting dressed. There was no way that Reid was going to be able to sleep after Luke's visit. He figured just going to work was better than sitting in his apartment thinking about Luke. Well, he was going to be thinking about Luke no matter what, but at least he would get some work done.

He walked into the hospital and it was well after 8pm. The night shift was just getting started and visiting hours were over. At least Reid knew that Luke wasn't going to be in the hospital anymore today. He could focus on his daily routine; Reid was all about the routine.

He grabbed some charts and started checking on his patients. Everything was going as it should, until he came to his last patient. Noah. He wasn't sure if he had purposely put him off to the end or not. Subconsciously, maybe he did. Put off the one he had been dreading. He grabbed Noah's chart from the nurses' station and dragged himself to Noah's room. Gripping the chart tightly in his right hand, he opened the door and took in a sharp breath.

There, sitting next to Noah's bed, was Luke. He was asleep; his head was resting next to Noah's on the pillow. His fingers were laced through Noah's and Reid could hear faint snoring. The bitter taste was back in his mouth. He decided to get in and get out. Reid slowly closed the door and let it latch shut. He set the chart down and walked to Noah's bedside; opposite Luke. He looked so peaceful and then Reid had a flash of the last look Luke gave him when he left his apartment. The humiliation and contempt he had for himself in that moment. Reid could see him actually shrink down in front of him.

"You're a lucky man Noah." Reid whispered to the unconscious man. "You have the love of an amazing man. You have no idea how amazing he is." Reid stopped and looked at Luke who was still asleep. Reid continued to check the brunette's vitals. "If Luke does decide to stay with you, don't screw up the way I did. Don't you ever take him for granted." Reid made a few notes on Noah's chart and quietly left the room.

He dropped Noah's chart off at the desk and slipped into the supply storage room a little down the hall; grabbing what he was looking for. Reid glanced up and down the quiet hall to be sure no one was looking and snuck back into Noah's room. Luke was still asleep and had not moved. Reid carefully unfolded the blanket he had grabbed and draped it over Luke. He made sure to cover him as best as he could. Reid softly brushed Luke's hair and exited the room as quietly as he entered.  As soon as the door shut he let out a breath as he tried to get his composure back.

"Dr. Oliver? Are you all right?" A nurse asked when she found him leaning against the wall. He straightened his shoulders and stood to full height.

"Of course I am." He answered sharply. He started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to the retreating nurse. "Thank you." The woman nodded curtly and continued on her way. Reid walked to his office and collapsed on his couch. Exhaustion was finally kicking in. That was the only way he was going to get any rest tonight anyway. He laid back and stared up at the ceiling. As he eyelids grew heavier and heavier, he tried to reach back to happy memories he had of Luke. Reid fell asleep to the vision of Luke lying on the shore of the pond; the sun warming his skin with beads of water still visible.

* * *

The next two weeks Reid didn't see Luke. Literally, Luke was not around. Their correspondence was down to email and memos as well as phone messages through assistants. Luke was still trying to keep everything as professional as he could. Emailing notes for the plans or adjustments to the budget. Nothing personal was added. Reid felt bad that Luke was feeling the need to edit himself. Whenever Luke emailed anyone, he was polite and cordial to them all; starting messages with 'Hello' and ending with a 'Thank you so much', but none of those endearments were on the notes he got from Luke.  Just because he was not seeing Luke, did not mean that he wasn't talking to him.  Now all Reid had were those short notes from Luke.

They had three board meetings in that time and Bob always relayed Luke's apologies that he was unable to attend. Luke's presence at those meetings was the only reason Reid managed to fit them into his schedule. Reid knew he was being ignored and it hurt. A lot. He missed Luke. Reid thought seeing him every day and not being with him was tough, but this was much worse. But this was exactly what he had hoped for. That Luke would find someone else and have a normal, functional relationship. To see the reality of it, made a pit grow in Reid's stomach.

Reid realized it was easier check on Noah because Luke was not around. It wasn't that Reid did not want to see Luke; it didn't want Luke to feel any worse than he already did. Luke was notorious for internalizing his feelings, which probably stemmed from his crazy, bipolar upbringing; being dragged from one parent to the other and back again. He was always trying to be sure that everything and everyone was all right. Reid knew that if Luke actually came face to face with the doctor he would relive it all again and feel even worse.

It was during one of those visits when Noah started to wake up. It was subtle at first. He just moved his head a little and moaned in his sleep. Reid had started weaning Noah off the sedative, so this was bound to happen. He made a note of it and told the day nurse to keep monitoring him. He told her that Noah was beginning to rouse out of his drug-induced coma. He went back to his office and checked email.

Reid was checking on Noah when Luke entered his room. He looked tired and his hair was not its usual polished self. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping much lately; another thought that made Reid regret the way they left things the day of Noah's surgery.

"Hello, Mr. Snyder."

"Dr. Oliver. How is he?" Luke walked to the opposite side of the bed, facing Reid, but looking down at Noah.

"He's just starting to wake up."

"Really?" Luke asked with excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, he should be waking up soon. But he still needs to take it easy." He made a few notes and started to walk away.

"Would it be all right if I stayed here?" Luke asked the doctor as he slipped his hand into Noah's.  Reid swallowed deeply to keep himself in check.

"That should be fine. I'll be back later to check on him.

Noah had been starting to wake for a few hours now. His surgery had gone the way it was supposed to as Reid knew it would and he could be discharged in a week or so. A fact that Reid was glad of. He didn't hate Noah; he never really did. He hated how he treated Luke. Noah was not good enough for him. Well, in Reid's mind no one would be good enough; not even himself.

* * *

Reid was just about to finish rounds. Noah was his last stop. He made sure to grab his chart and opened the door without looking up. When he did look up, Luke was sitting on the edge of Noah's bed and they were kissing. Reid felt his heart and jaw clench at the same time. Luke was holding Noah's face in his hands and Noah's hands were tangled in Luke's blonde locks and tugging on his hip. He almost walked back out, but stopped when he heard a moan escape through their kiss.

Reid knew that moan. That was the sound Luke made when he was losing himself in the other person. It was Luke's moan of pure rapture. Visions of Luke in various states from their relationship flashed through Reid's mind in that instant. Jealousy was an ugly emotion, but that was all Reid could feel in that moment. Reid missed that moan.

He couldn't witness this any longer. Reid coughed loudly; louder than necessary. And then watched Luke pull away from an equally startled Noah. Luke looked over his shoulder and saw Dr. Oliver standing there with his arms crossed over Noah's chart. He jumped to his feet and stepped back from Noah's bed.

"Dr. Oliver, is that you?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, it's me. How are you feeling?"

"Better after Luke got here." He said as he reached out and squeezed Luke's hand. Luke looked down at their joined hands and then Reid. Reid had to forced his face to remain as blank as possible.

"He can see." Luke said with a gleaming smile. One that Reid had not seen in a long time.

"Of course he can."

"I'll go wait outside." Luke said and Noah quickly grabbed Luke's wrist to stop him. Luke looked down at Noah, a small smile played across his face. "I want him to stay. Please, Dr. Oliver,"

"Right, whatever. Just stay back. How are you feeling today?"

"Pretty good. Things are still really blurry."

"Understandable. If things look the way I think they will, I'm going to progress you into a new medication."

"Will that clear it up?" Noah asked anxiously.

"We'll see. I'm optimistic," he said with a smile.

"That's good enough for me."

Reid started Noah's exam, first checking his pupil response and then sent him down a few floors for a CAT scan and a few x-rays. After a couple hours of testing, Reid came back to Noah's room after looking over all the data collected. He was about to give him some good news, but got bad news in return. When Reid opened the door, he found Luke sitting on Noah's bed. Their hands were linked and they were locked in another kiss. He felt his heart squeeze tightly in his chest. He coughed to make his presence known. The two men broke apart and Luke stood up to face the doctor. Feeling a blush rising up into his cheeks. Why did he always feel this way when Dr. Oliver and him were in the same room?

"Dr. Oliver?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Noah, I have your results." Reid said and could almost feel them take in deep breaths. "Everything is going exactly as I had hoped. If you just keep to the protocols we established, you will be getting out of here real soon."

"Ha! Did you hear that?" Luke exclaimed

"Yeah, thank you Dr. Oliver. I don't know I'll ever be able to repay you."

"The new neuro wing your boyfriend is building is enough for me. I'll be back to check on you later on." He slipped out before either one of them could stop them. He needed to speak to someone and he needed to do it right now.


	12. Diner Convergence

Reid rounded the corner on the sixth floor and saw her standing at the nurses' station. She was clumsily moving files around the desk; trying to make it appear that she was busy. He rolled his eyes and walked over the desk.

"Nurse Taylor, I need to speak to you." He said and quickly turned on his heel.

"Oh, ah, sure. Dr. Oliver." Gretchen stammered and followed him into an empty exam room. She started to ring her hands and her shoulders drooped as they entered the room and quickly shrugged that off as soon as the door shut. She turned her head right then left, cracking her joints as she did so. "So, how's it going doc?"

"How's it going? Luke and Noah are back together! That's how it's going! You never told me that this could happen!" He yelled at her as he started to pace the room a bit.

"That was your choice! **Yours!** I told you that things were going to be different. You were given the option of doing everything the same way, but you chose not to. Luke didn't get the confidence boost when you started to pursue him. No one ever convinced him that the accident wasn't his fault. I'm afraid that it might be too late to fix that."

As much as he wanted to be angry at Gretchen, he really had no one to blame but himself. He thought that pulling himself out of Luke's life would make things better for Luke, but it looked like that was wasn't the case. Noah had hurt Luke a lot at the end of their relationship and he didn't want to see that happen again. He had to show Luke that relationships weren't like this. He needed to figure out a way to do that. He didn't realize that that moment would come so quickly.

* * *

Reid walked towards Noah's room and heard an argument in progress.

"Why is it so hard to imagine us in LA?"

"Because I have so much here. My job, my foundation."

"But this was our plan. We were going to move there and start a life away from all of this."

"I know, but…"

"…if there wasn't the accident we would probably be there now. This is my dream Luke and I thought we shared that one. I have worked my whole life for this. And now you're just changed your mind because you can't leave your family." Noah voice was starting to rise at the end. This was what Reid was telling Gretchen about. He was bullying Luke like he always did and Reid was afraid that Luke would buckle like he always did. Reid decided to end this before people in the nearby rooms could hear it.

"Noah. How are you?" He asked as he entered the room; not even acknowledging the argument. He could see Luke shrink back in embarrassment. He stepped away from the bed as Reid got closer. Reid could read by his body language that he was hurt and self-conscious.

"I'm fine."

"Ok. I need to run some tests today. I'll have Becca come in and take you down for a CAT scan." He said and both men didn't look at each other or the doctor. It was a tense few minutes as they waited for Becca; all of them standing in silence. Becca finally entered with a wheelchair and took Noah out of the room. Luke's arms were crossed tightly against he chest and he paced a little, back and forth, trying not to see Reid standing just ten feet away.

The door latched shut and Reid watched Luke for a few seconds before he finally spoke.

"You shouldn't put up with that." Reid said softly. Luke looked up and caught his gaze. Reid could easily see anger in the blonde's eyes and Luke scoffed.

"You have no right to comment on my life, do you? It's none of your business." Luke said, venom heavy in his voice, and left the room. Reid felt his heart clench. Luke was right, it was none of his business and the realization of that stabbed Reid hard in the gut. He let out a breath and exited the room as well. As he entered the hallway, he saw Chris sneaking into the exam room across the hall. He asked the nurse what patient was in that room. After checking her computer, she told him that it was empty.

"So that's where we are now?" He asked and the nurse looked at him with confusion all over her face. It wasn't a new look mind you, but at least this time it was justified. "Ah, nevermind. You're doing a great job. Thank you." He said and the nursed smiled at him. He grabbed the phone from his pocket and made a quick call to his boss.

* * *

 

Bob was surprised that Reid had called him for a consult. Perhaps all of his attempts to get Reid to open up to being a better doctor were finally rubbing off. Reid had all the knowhow, but not much of the heart to be a great doctor; well at least he didn't know how to show it. Now that the wing was moving ahead, Reid could be that amazing doctor that Bob knew was in there somewhere. He came to the exam room on fourth floor and walked in. Imagine Bob's surprise when he didn't find Reid, but his son sitting on the exam table. The bigger surprise came when he found him drawing his own blood.

"Chris, mind explaining what you're doing and why you need to draw your own blood?"

Reid watched from down the hall and saw the door close behind his Chief of Staff. He hated to surprise Bob this way, but it was the best way he could think of to tell Bob what Chris was doing and not get in trouble himself. He knew that he was going to have to explain to Bob how he knew Chris was in there, but Bob would have a few more things to worry about than how he found out the truth. Maybe now Chris will finally get the help he needs. Now Reid needed to help someone else.

* * *

He needed to clear his head. He needed to figure out how he could make things right for Luke. He needed a cheeseburger. He always did work better on a full stomach. He walked into Al's and sat down at the counter. He ordered his burger and looked around the small diner. He couldn't believe his luck when he saw Luke sitting across the restaurant in a booth with several kinds of paperwork spread out in front of him. He decided that this was it. He needed to do something. Reid took a breath and walked over to the young blonde.

Luke was busy looking over his foundation paperwork and didn't see Reid come in. He didn't see him until he felt someone watching him. Luke looked up and locked on to Reid's beautiful blue eyes. _Beautiful? Where did that come from?_

"Hi." Reid said; leaning against the edge of the booth.

"Hi." Luke answered, hesitantly.

"Can I sit?" Reid asked and Luke nodded in response. "Look, I want to apologize." Reid quickly said and he watched Luke relax and push his work aside.

"No, I'm sorry."

"Wait." He stopped Luke before he continued. "You're actually getting an apology out of me…you may want to hear it _**all**_ the way through. I don't give these out too often." Reid teased and Luke had to laugh. He could see Luke give him a shy smile and gestured for him to finish; clasping his hands together and resting them on the table. "I'm sorry that I butted in. You're right. It is none of my business."

"I overreacted. You're right too. You were just trying to be nice and I was just embarrassed. I'm sorry that I snapped at you. He was just angry and I just have to hang on until its better."

"Aren't you always waiting? And if it doesn't get better?"

Luke had never thought of that and didn't know how to respond.

"It has to, right? How could it get worse?" Luke said, looking down at his hands. Reid wondered who he was trying to convince; Reid or himself. 

"You don't have to stick up for him all time."

"I'm not."

"Yeah, Luke. You still are. You have done everything he has ever needed and, for him to treat you as if your needs and wants don't matter, it is not fair."

"Why are we talking about this again?" Luke asked trying to defuse the situation.

"I just want you to see that not all relationships are like that."

"How would you know? Have you ever been in love?" Luke asked in disbelief.

"Believe it or not, I have."

"Really?" Luke asked; not even trying to hide his surprise.

"Yes, really. Don't act so surprised. It's mildly insulting." Reid teased and leaned forward onto the booth's table. Luke laughed at Reid's joke and the doctor could see him relaxing into the vinyl bench.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Was it your first love?" Luke asked. Dr. Oliver was being surprisingly candid, Luke was going to milk it.

"You could say that.  First real love anyway."

"When did it end?"

"Just before I came here," technically that was the truth.

"What happened?" Luke asked and Reid decided to let him know. Finally tell Luke how he viewed their relationship, even if Luke didn't know it was about him.

"My last relationship ended because I took him for granted. Don't let that happen to you. You deserve someone who appreciates and loves you and who isn't afraid to show it." Reid could see Luke swallow as the doctor's words sunk in.

"Why did you take him for granted?"

"I'm not sure. I wish I hadn't. It's my biggest regret."

"Do you miss him? God, I'm sorry, that's none of my business." Luke said quickly, clearly frazzled by his utterance.

"With everything that I am. He was the Be All and End All for me."

"Wow." Luke said breathlessly and then his cheeks reddened when he realized that he said it out loud. He coughed to cover his embarrassment and continued. "Do you think you'll ever get back together with him?"

"I doubt it. He deserves better than me anyway. I just hope he realizes that. And has an amazing life. That, that he deserves."

Luke got real quiet after hearing Dr. Oliver confess something so personal. He had never seen him so open before. He liked this Dr. Oliver much more than the man he met a few months ago. Living in Oakdale was agreeing with him. Henry came over then to see if Luke needed anything. He was still cagey around the doc and wanted to be sure he wasn't up to something.

"Luke, can I get you anything?"  Henry asked, not taking his eyes off of Reid.

"No thank you Henry, I'm fine."

"You need anything?" He asked Reid. "Water? Or maybe some coffee with a little bit of arsenic?"

"Ah, no. I'm good, but thanks Hank." Reid answered still looking at Luke. Henry stood there, jaw agape. When he didn't leave, Reid finally looked up and saw the look on the man's face.

"What can I do ya' for, Hank?" Reid inquired.

"Huh? Nothing. You've just never been nice to me before. What's your endgame?"

"Excuse me?" Reid almost laughed. Henry and Reid always teased back and forth, but he really wasn't trying to start anything. Luke was what was on his mind at the moment.

"You would never be nice to me without a motive? What is it? My insurance will only cover so much."

"Well, don't worry Hank. It'll never happen again," and at that moment Reid's pager went off. He glanced down at it and then back up at Luke. "I have to go, but think about what I said." Luke nodded in response and Reid slid out of the booth. He grabbed his waiting take-out and made his way back to work.

Luke tried to go back to his much-neglected foundation paperwork, but found his mind returning to the older doctor. Why would he tell Luke those things? Confess something so private. Luke thought he had the man figured out. He had him pegged as doctor-machine whose head only turned at the sight of food, but he was realizing he was wrong.

He wondered what else he was wrong about when it came to Dr. Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Luke comes to a decision and Noah gets ready to go home.  
> Stay Tuned!


	13. Business Concluding

Reid walked into Noah's room and saw the tall brunette sitting on his bed trying to read a magazine. He had told him to take it easy, but he was afraid that he was pushing himself too hard.

"Good morning Noah."

"Dr. Oliver," Reid opened his chart and readied his pen.

"How are you today?"

"Pretty good. It's getting easier to see and not to sound ungrateful or anything, but is this the best it's going to get?"

"Well, you've been responding well to treatment. I have a few more ideas, but yes, I think that your vision will get much better. As long as you follow all of my directions." Reid was about to detail the next round of therapies when there was a knock on the door. As both men looked up as the door opened and Luke entered. He stopped short and started to apologize.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can come back."

"Luke. No, stay. I need to talk to you. Dr. Oliver was just about to tell me about the new treatment he wanted to try." Reid felt his mouth go dry as soon as Luke entered the room fully. He was wearing his black suit with a crisp white shirt and his dark blue plaid tie. His hair looked even more golden against the black suit.

"A new therapy?"

"Yeah. If he follows my directions, everything should be close to normal again. I'll just go and let you two talk. I'll be back in a few minutes and we can get the next round started." Reid said and stepped out into the hallway. He just didn't want to be in the same room with them. He wanted Luke to find a relationship that he deserved and if that was Noah, what else could he do? He had already tried to prop Luke up and let him know that _whatever_ he and Noah had was **not** normal. Reid was still going to try to help Luke realize that, but there was only so much he could do without telling him everything. Noah started those therapies later that day and Reid didn't see Luke; not until the following week.

* * *

Reid walked into the next board meeting and stopped in his tracks when he saw Luke sitting at the table; opposite the door. Reid nearly choked on the gum he had been chewing when he saw him. Luke had been MIA from the meetings for weeks. He quickly shook off the nervousness he felt and continued into the room. He took a seat across from Luke and waited for the meeting to start. All of the heads from the various departments were already there and they were just waiting for Bob. Reid wondered how Bob was doing. It had been nearly a week since he tricked Bob into going to the exam room Chris was using to draw his own blood. The rumor mill had just started to churn over this one. None of them were getting it right yet, but Chris' health was only going to get worse. Bob couldn't keep it hushed for long.

Reid looked up and saw Luke typing away on his Blackberry. When he and Luke were together, sometimes it was like was Luke was cheating on Reid with his Blackberry. He was always checking in with his office, tracking shipments through customs, emailing notes to the foundation, or simply texting with loved ones. Towards the end of their relationship, many moments were ruined by that damn phone. Reid fantasized about throwing it out a window or shoving it down the garbage disposal. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was a defense mechanism; like a shield. Luke was using it to keep people back, to protect himself. They sat in the board room for another ten minutes and Reid was just about to leave when Bob came in.

"I'm sorry everyone. I had a situation. Let's get this started." He said as he sat in his chair and settled in for an update on the wing and other projects the hospital was working on. Reid looked over and saw that he was haggard; tired. He looked twenty years older than his years. Chris was his youngest and now he was faced with a health crisis. Reid couldn't help, but remember all the times that Luke got sick while they were together. A few colds, several bouts with the flu, and a very scary few weeks when Luke contracted a virus that developed into a kidney infection. Reid remembered that helpless feeling he had when he knew that there was nothing he could do for Luke. Watching him get weaker and weaker before the treatments kicked in. Reid looked back towards Luke and caught the man staring at him. They shared a long look before Luke broke away. The rest of the meeting continued like this. Luke sneaking glances at Reid; Reid sneaking right back and occasionally the one would catch the other.

"If there's nothing else to discuss, I think I'll call this meeting closed." Bob said to the assembled party.

"I have something. Bob and I have already discussed this, but soon I won't be as hands on as I have been, I assure the board that this wing is still very important to me and my foundation. I will continue to participate in as many meetings as I can from Los Angeles."

"Thank you Luke. I, and as well as the rest of the board, appreciate all that you've done to get this unit off the ground. If there's nothing else, I call this meeting closed." Bob concluded the meeting and left rather quickly. He wanted to get back to Chris. He had managed to get a hold John Dixon and hoped that his old friend would be able to get to Oakdale as soon as possible. The other members left and it was just Reid and Luke. Reid was tucking his files together and Luke was doing the same.

"So, going away on business?" Reid just had to ask. He wanted to know what was going on his life. During their first time through this, he and Luke were just starting to get close. Luke wanted to share things with Reid, but now there was a definite wall going up between them.

"Ah, no. I'm moving. As soon as Noah is better, we're moving to LA." Luke said and then left the room. Reid had to sit down. This was not going as he had planned.

* * *

Reid walked onto the fifth floor lounge and saw Katie making herself a cup of coffee. He hadn't had much time to spend with her the last week or so. Chris had been admitted after his dad found him drawing his own blood. They were giving him antibiotics and he was being put on the transplant list. They had been lucky to get him admitted when they did. If they waited any longer, he would have suffered much more damage to his heart. He quietly walked up to his friend and lightly tapped her shoulder. She turned around and he sighed when he saw her face. She looked so tired and her eyes were developing dark circles.

"Hi."

"Hey." She said in a soft voice. She fiddled with her cup, chipping her manicured nail at the cup's lip.

"How is he?"

"His heart is still functioning, but it doesn't look good." He could hear her voice hitch. "I have never felt so helpless. I want to help, but what can I do. He could die."

"No, he won't."

"You don't know that." Katie shook her head and started to walk away.

"Yes." Reid grabbed her arm and stopped her. He looked her right in the eye to make sure she was listening. "I do know. He is not going to die." He sounded to so sure and Reid never lied. He told it like it was and didn't mince words. Katie wanted to believe him. She realized that she had to. She had to hang on to something. She reached out and Reid took her hand in his. She squeezed it for a moment before she released it and went back in to see Chris. Reid looked through the door's small window and saw Katie sit next to Chris and ran her fingers through his hair. He hoped that what he had told her was true.

* * *

Another week went by and Reid was so busy with his turns in the ER that he didn't even realize it. He was on his way to see Noah and prayed that Luke was not around. He just didn't want to see them all lovey dovey. He knew that Luke was going to make his own choices anyway. But there was no way that he had to watch it. He walked into Noah's room and saw him watching something on his computer.

"Noah?"

"Oh, Dr. Oliver." He quickly pulled off his headphones and closed the computer screen.

"What were you watching?'

"Oh, my movie. Luke had finished it for me after my accident and I finally got the nerve to watch it."

"The nerve?"

"Yeah, ah, Luke did it behind my back and I was pretty mad about it. I took it out on him, but I was wrong. So wrong." The room got quiet for a moment, until Reid started to talk again.

"Ready to get out of here?"

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, you have taken very well to all of the therapies that I have prescribed and I have a new medication for you, but I think you are ready to go home."

Noah could not believe what he was hearing. He could not wait to go home. He was so grateful for all that Dr. Oliver and the staff at memorial had done, but he wanted to get out of here. Reid ordered a couple tests; we wanted to be sure that things were going the way they needed to go before he discharged Noah. Reid was just finishing up and Noah looked so anxious that he couldn't sit still.

"So, do you want me to call anyone to come and pick you up?" It was a loaded question and Reid knew it.

"No, my friend Richard is coming to see me today. He can give me a ride home." Noah said and Reid tried to cover his surprise. They were planning on moving to LA and Luke was not going to be picking him up.

"Ok. Well, a nurse will come in with your drops and will show how to use them. In the meantime, you can start packing."

"Dr. Oliver. I don't know how to thank you. Everything you've done."

"You're welcome." He left the room and ran right into Richard as he was coming in. They shared polite smiles and Reid went on his way.

"Who was that?"  The younger brunette asked.

"That was Dr. Oliver. Why?"

"Just wait until your sight is back. He is so hot!"

"Really? I wonder why Luke never said anything?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a filler episode. More stuff happening in the next one.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Luke and Noah come together and Reid tries not to come apart.  
> Stay Tuned!


	14. Afternoon Delight

Reid was sitting in his office; trying to go over patient files. Luke was moving to LA. Why would he do that? His entire life was here. His foundation was here as well as Grimaldi Shipping and, more importantly, his family. Luke would do anything for his family and there was no way that he would be moving to LA. This had to be **ALL** about Noah. Reid knew that when it came to Noah, Luke could be easily manipulated. Luke wanted so badly for things to go well that he was willing to change his mind or give up anything. Reid experienced that first hand in their relationship. Luke was always sacrificing for Reid. He just never realized it at the time. He wanted so badly for Luke to find a relationship that wasn't like that. He finally decided that there was no way that he would be able to concentrate on his paperwork until he talked to Luke. He pushed his files aside, grabbed his jacket, and went to find Luke.

* * *

Noah was sitting on his hospital bed and was listening to the nurse explain how to administer his new medication. He was listening, he really was, but he was also excited to be getting out. He had to show that he was able to handle his new medication and he was ready to go. He nodded at the nurse, she told him that she would be back in a few minutes with his discharge papers and left the room. He held the small bottle of eye drops in his hand and hoped that these actually did something. He was able to see things, but only up close and even then, things were cloudy. He was grateful for anything, but he hoped for more.

He leaned his head back and put two drops into each eye. The burning sensation was unbelievable. It felt like acid was washing over his eyes. The tears were instantaneous; trying to clean the harsh medication out of his eyes. He almost wanted to scream.

"AHH!"

"What's wrong?" Richard asked; worried about his friend.

"It burns. Can you get someone? I can't…stand this." Noah stammered out and Richard almost ran out of the room to get Noah some help. Noah stumbled to his feet and tried to get to the sink across the room. If he could just rinse it out, maybe that would help. As soon as he made it to the sink and reached for the faucet, the burning started to ease. It continued to dull as the tears started to run down his cheeks. He gripped the edge of the sink and looked up at the mirror on the wall in front of him. He blinked and blinked again; looking up at the mirror. As he eyes opened wider, he was astonished.

"I can see."

* * *

Luke sat on the couch in his mom's living room and tried to read a book. His mom was trying to track down her stolen car and she asked him to stay home in case Gabriel happened to come back. Luke had read the same line for the fifth time and still had no idea what he read. He couldn't get Dr. Oliver out of his mind. Well, he always had that problem lately. But it was even more so after their board meeting today. Luke knew that Reid had been watching him. They locked eyes more than once and then that whole thing after the meeting. Reid looked genuinely surprised that Luke was moving and he thought he saw something else in Reid's eyes. It almost looked like disappointment.

Luke shook that thought off as quickly as it came. Why would Dr. Oliver be disappointed that he was moving to LA with Noah? He told Luke himself that he did not have feelings for him and was not attracted to him. Why would he want him to stay? Dr. Oliver wasn't the kind of man that would be interested in Luke. Luke was too…too…much, he knew that. He was too impulsive, too rich, too spoiled, too young; he wasn't good enough. Those were the words that were always running through his head when he thought about Dr. Oliver. Luke was always his own worst critic and that was never more true than it was with Dr. Reid Oliver.

Luke tried again to get back into his book when the door bell rang. He groaned slightly, tossed his book onto the coffee table and pulled himself to his feet. He walked across the room and opened the door. Shocked to see Noah at his door.

"Oh my God! Noah! What are you doing here?"

"I was discharged today."

"Why didn't you call me? I would have been there." Luke said as he gestured for Noah to come inside.

"I wanted to surprise you." He answered shyly.

"Well, I'm surprised." He closed the door and turned to face Noah. The brunette was smiling and Luke suddenly felt very shy; like he used to when they first got together. "Did you have any problem getting here?"

"No. Ah, Richard gave me a ride."

"Oh." Luke felt his stomach knot. He couldn't help but be jealous of the other man. He had been spending more time with Noah than Luke had, but Noah still showed Luke the affection. That kiss that Dr. Oliver walked in on was one that Noah initiated. He surprised Luke by grabbing him at the back of his neck and pulling their mouths together. Luke was taken back at first, but gave in for a moment. He hadn't felt that close to anyone in a while. For a second he felt that with Reid until the doctor pulled away and then he felt ridiculous. The second kiss with Noah, Luke started it. He wanted to see if he felt the same thing he felt when he kissed Reid. He was hoping that it would come like a lightning shot, but, even though it was good, it was not the same. Noah had pulled away and caressed Luke's face in his hands; as if Luke was the most precious thing to him.

Luke was pretty sure that Noah wanted to be him again, but they hadn't really spent much time together recently. Luke had to admit that he had made some excuses recently to not spend time with him. Work was piling up or he needed to help Faith or his mom through some crisis. Noah was always understanding, but never withheld how disappointed he was. But he was here now, in his living room.

"I am so glad to be out of there and here, with you." Noah stepped closer and softly rested his hands on Luke's hips; lightly hooking his thumbs through the blonde's belt loops. "You are so beautiful, do you know that?" Noah said almost in awe in how good Luke looked. His right hand reached up and softly brushed across Luke's cheek.

"Wait. Can you see right now?" Luke's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah and you were the first person I wanted to tell. I've missed you. Is there anyone else home?"

"Ah, no. My mom is out looking for Gabriel. Ethan and the girls are hanging out at farm today with my dad. Why?"

"I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"Really?" Luke couldn't help but blush. Noah had a secret talent at making Luke blush. A few choice words and he was gone.

"Yeah really. You sound surprised."

"Well, we haven't spent that much time together recently."

"You've been busy," Noah tried to defend himself, "and I've been fine with that."

"But we were like this before your accident."

"I know, but I want to change that." He stepped even closer to Luke and Noah took his face in his hands. "When we move to LA, it'll just be us and I don't want us to grow apart again. I love you Luke. I have always. I wish that I could take back everything that happened." Luke's hands fell and rested on Noah's hips. He could feel his body getting warmer as Noah stood in front of him.

"I want that too." Luke said in a soft voice. Noah's thumbs softly brushed across Luke's cheekbones and he could feel Luke's breathing stagger as he pulled Luke to his mouth. Luke gave in to it. He had missed this, but what he wasn't sure of why he missed him.

Their kisses became longer and more desperate. Luke wasn't sure if he was kissing Noah because he wanted to or because he just wanted to feel something. He wanted to feel desired. But if he would only think about it, he would realize that he felt more heat in that one kiss with Reid than he had in the last six months of his relationship with Noah. Maybe it was because it was something new. Yeah, that had to be it. Noah was comfortable and Reid was something different. Different never held up. Comfortable was what kept a relationship going, right? Luke was still thinking about all of this while Noah was just enjoying kissing his first love.

* * *

Reid walked up to back door at Luke's mom's house. He had to get Luke to see that relationships are a partnership. Both people have to be invested or it would never work. It didn't work when Luke was with Noah and it certainly work when he and Luke were together. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but it had to be great. Luke was all about the monologues; it was probably the writer in him. Whether it was said to him or given by him; Luke loved them. Reid remembered all the apologies that he had to give Luke and they all were well thought out and well delivered. He decided to just tell Luke about their relationship, but leave names out to protect his plan. He wasn't sure if Gretchen was telling him the truth, but he had gone through too much to go back now. He needed to be strong for Luke; this was all for him.

He was about to knock when he saw movement inside. He leaned closer to the window and peered inside. He could see Luke and Noah. They were sitting on the couch and they were making out. Noah was sitting back and Luke was half in his lap. Noah's hands were sliding up the back of Luke's shirt, while Luke's hands were buried in Noah's hair. Reid felt his heart sink into his feet. He had tried to convince Luke from going with Noah without actually telling him anything, but it was all for naught. Luke fell back to what was safe. He just hoped that Luke would see how dysfunctional their relationship was before he got too hurt.

But Reid also knew that if Noah hurt Luke, he was too obnoxious to lie down and die. He smiled as he applied Luke's own words to Luke himself. He would always be there for him, whether he knew it or not. As he made his way home, he hoped that if Luke needed him, Luke would accept his help.

If he only knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, whatta think? Hit review and let me know!   
> We're almost half done!  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake- Reid and Gretchen talk and Luke comes to a decision.  
> Stay Tuned!


	15. Selfishness

Reid walked into his office and let the door slowly latch shut. He was fidgeting with his keys; turning them over in his palm and squeezing them tightly. He didn't know what to do with himself. He was so angry! He could feel his skin getting hotter and hotter. He suddenly hated having a photographic memory. He was never going to forget seeing Luke in Noah's lap, making out on Lily's couch. Luke was lost to him now. He was choosing Noah. He wanted so much for Luke, and Noah was not it. Noah was an anchor; he kept Luke back. Reid knew from living with Luke for five years that he was going to become someone that others looked up and admired. Luke was going to be amazing; even more than he already was. But could he become who he was meant to be with Noah Mayer holding him down. Would Luke be able to break away from him this time?

Reid finally broke and threw his keys across the room as hard as he could. They hit the wall and fell to floor behind his desk. He knew it was childish, but he didn't know what else to do. Thank god his pager went off when it did to save himself or anything else before he could get his hands on.

After a six-hour surgery to save a baseball player who drove drunk and t-boned a garbage truck, Reid wandered back into his office and collapsed into his desk chair. He leaned back and let his eyes drift shut. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but the door shutting finally woke him. He opened his eyes and saw Gretchen leaning over him.

"What's up doc?" She asked and laughed. "You know how long I have wanted to say that." She dropped down onto the small sofa across the room. "How's it going?"

"He chose Noah."

"What?"

"Luke chose Noah. I saw them together last night."

"Oh. How are you taking it?"

"How do you think I'm taking it?" He nearly shouted and stood up. He paced slightly and she just watched him. He was trying to figure out what he was going to say next. "I'm going to tell him."

"Tell who, what?" She asked and rose to meet him.

"I'm going to tell him. I'm going to tell Luke about this little "dream" I've been living for the past few months."

"You know the rules Reid. You tell anyone and you go right back to your old life."

"I know. I need to tell him."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Reid was taken back by the question.

"Why do you need to tell him? Is he in danger?"

"In danger of living a mediocre life on the arm of tall, dark, and boring."

"Is that a no?" She asked sarcastically.

"I can't let him do this." Reid voice was so soft it bordered on a whisper.

"What is the real reason for you wanting to tell Luke and go back? I thought you wanted to let Luke have a better life. To protect him and let him have a normal relationship."

"Yes, I did, and there is NO way that he will have that if he stays with Noah Mayer." He is voice was full of disdain.

"Isn't it selfish to take the decision way from Luke?"

"I…damnit!" He knew she was right. His head dropped and stared at his feet for a few moments.

"Look, nothing changes for me either way. You can tell him. You can tell him that you were given a chance to relive your life. You can tell him that he had just filed for divorce after five years together. You can tell him everything. But you will go right back to where you were before waking up here and all of this will be for nothing."

"It just kills me that he has gone back to him. He deserves so much better than Noah."

"They're not shopping for a condo and teacup poodles. They're moving to LA so Noah can pursue **_his_** dreams in tinsel town. Their old wounds are still there. It is all up to them now. You made this choice Reid." He glanced at her and leaned against his desk top. "Now, I have bed pans to clean. Yuck! If you think of it, try to get me reassigned to a different department, Nurse Ratchet cannot not stand me." She turned and her hand stopped on the door; she turned back to him. "Think about what I said." She slipped out and left Reid to his thoughts.

He wanted to be selfish. He wanted to tell Luke everything. But being selfish was what got him in this mess. He was selfish with Luke and lost him. He was being selfish again. Taking away Luke's right to choose for himself what his future should be. Reid could not do that to Luke again. Reid nearly jumped when his pager went off. He pulled it from his belt and saw "8888".

That was Katie. Something was happening with Chris. He wretched his office door open and ran to the stairwell. He took the steps two at time and exited onto the fifth floor. He first saw Allison and Casey standing in the hall, staring at the door. He walked right past them and entered the room. Chris was unconscious with Kim sitting on one side of him and Katie was sitting on the opposite side; each holding one of Chris' hands. John Dixon was off to the side talking to Bob. The door shut behind Reid and Katie looked up to see her friend standing in the room. She was quickly on her feet and across the room in seconds. She wrapped her arms around his body and buried her face in chest. He held her close and let her cry. He made wide circles on her back to calm her. He finally pulled back and took her face in his hands.

"I'm going to talk to Bob and John for a few minutes. Ok?" She just nodded and returned to her seat. Reid walked up to Bob and lightly touched his shoulder to get his attention. Bob turned to face Reid and he looked even older than his years portrayed; if that was possible.

"Ah, Reid. This is John Dixon. John this is Reid Oliver." The two men made with the pleasant introductions; shaking hands and then both turned to look at Chris.

"How is he?"

"He's fighting, but he's losing. I have upgraded his status on the National Donor Database. He will need a transplant. If only we had gotten to him sooner. He is comfortable, but his heart will not be able to keep him alive much longer." John was being blunt, telling Bob how it was. Reid knew all of this. He could only imagine how devastating this would be for his friend if he lost his son. He stepped into the near empty hall and pulled out his cell. He needed to make a quick call.

* * *

Luke sat in his mom's kitchen and just across the table sat Noah. They quietly ate breakfast. Noah was reading the paper and drinking his coffee. They had gotten back together the previous night when Noah came over and in two weeks, they would be in L.A. or so they planned. They were going to go to L.A. so Noah could make his fortune in "Hollywood". They had always planned to go together. It was their dream, but that was before Noah's accident and before Mason. Luke looked at his boyfriend and wondered if this was it. Was this really what he wanted?

"Noah. I can't do this." Luke was finally able to say out loud.  He surprised himself by actually saying them out loud.

"Do what?" He asked as he looked up from his paper.

"This. Us."

"I don't…what are you talking about?" Noah was getting a little worried now.

"I can't move to L.A. with you." Luke had finally said it. Deep down he had been thinking about it, but now he actually said those seven words out loud.

"Luke, is this about leaving your family?"

"No. Well, partly, but this is about me."

"Luke, we always dreamed about this," Noah reached over and took Luke's hand in his, "moving to LA. We were going to do it together."

"No. That's your dream. Not mine," Noah was starting to get a little frustrated and pulled his hand away.

"I'm supposed to, what? Put my future on hold because you can't leave home?"

"That is not fair!"

"You're right. I'm sorry." Noah was angry and he was taking it out on Luke. He didn't mean to, but he seemed to do it all the same.

"I'm not asking you to do anything. You can still leave in September. I'm just staying here."

"What will you do?"

"I have my foundation and the new hospital wing."

Their awkward silence was interrupted by Luke's cell ringing. He crossed the kitchen to his jacket and looked to see who was calling him this early. It was Reid.

"Dr. Oliver?"

"Luke, you need to come to the hospital. It's Chris Hughes and it's bad. I know Casey and Katie could use some support right now."

"Yeah, I'll be right there. Thank you for calling me." Luke slid his phone into his pocket, grabbed his jacket, and ran to his car. He needed to be there for his friends. And for Reid.

He didn't even hear Noah calling to him from the back door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little short, but I wanted to end it in a good spot.  
> Let me know what you think.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake- Everyone comes to together for Chris and Luke makes a life-changing decision.  
> Stay Tuned!


	16. Plan 'B"

Luke stepped out of the elevator on the fifth floor and the first person he was Casey. He was sitting alone and looked lost in thought. He could see the worry all over his face. He slowly walked up to his friend and lightly touched his shoulder. Casey looked up and saw his oldest friend. A feeling of relief came over him. He stood and was immediately enveloped in a hug from Luke Snyder.

"Where's Ali?

"She had to check in with her shift nurse." Casey's voice sounded so hallow; scared.

"Are you ok?"

"I guess, it's such a shock. I had no idea that there was anything wrong. Apparently he's been sick since he came home."

"Really? How did he hide that this whole time?" Luke asked and all Casey could do was shrug. John came out of Chris' room and Luke straightened his spine; he didn't even realize he did it. "John?"

John turned to the sound of his name and saw Luke standing there with Casey by his side. Under other circumstances he would have been delighted to see Lucinda's grandson, but today was not a usual day.

"Luke." John extended his hand and the blonde quickly grabbed it.

"How is he?"

"Grave would be the word. All we can do is keep him comfortable and wait. He needs a transplant." John relayed Chris' condition and Luke could feel the anxiety start to come off of Casey. His friend wrapped his arms around himself and his shoulders tightened. Casey and Chris may not have been close in their lives, but they were still family and right now Casey was nervous. John's pager went off and he slipped away to make a call. Casey mumbled something about checking on his grandma and left Luke on his own. He tucked his hands into his pockets and walked towards Chris' room. Luke looked in the window and saw something that made his heart swell. Standing just to the side of Chris' bed, was Reid holding a crying Katie in his arms. She had her arms wrapped tightly around Reid and his cheek was resting on the top of her head. His hand was lightly rubbing up and down the length of her back; trying to soothe her. This was the Reid that Luke had seen. The man that he was attracted to. The man he wanted to know better, but there was time for that later. Luke gave them one more look and decided to see if he could do anything for Casey.

* * *

Luke was in the waiting room on the fifth floor and he was just sitting. This was driving him crazy. He wanted to do something to help. Growing up in Oakdale, the Snyder family was closely entwined with the Hughes. Luke couldn't think of a big moment in his life that didn't involve his best friend. Next to his dad, Casey was the most important man in his life. He would anything for Casey and Casey would say the same for Luke. And to see him so beaten down, killed him. Not to mention, Bob.

Bob had been Luke's biggest advocate each time he got sick. He fought longer than anyone else would have. Luke was confident in his belief that if Bob had not been his doctor when he was younger, Luke would not be here. That was why Luke felt like he had to do something to help Chris and the family that he loved nearly as much as he loved his own. There had to be something he could do to help them. He could hear raised voices and was worried when he thought he heard Reid. He quietly slipped out of the waiting room and searched for the commotion.

"They cannot do this!" Luke could hear Reid's voice coming from an empty patient room. He moved closer to the door and strained to hear what was going on. He could hear Reid's voice above John, Bob, and Tom. "Do they not know how dire Chris' condition is?"

"We have told them. I even sent them a copy of Chris' file to prove the point, but there is only so much we can do. He is still on the list and if another heart becomes available, then we will move on from there. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on my patient." John said and stepped into the hallway. Bob and Tom exited soon after. Reid was extremely angry. He thought that getting Bob to see that Chris was sick earlier than last time would give them more time, but they were in the same boat again. An arrogant heart surgeon holding the donor heart hostage. He knew that he had to do something. He needed to get this done.

* * *

Luke just couldn't sit around and do nothing any longer. He needed to talk to John and Bob. He pulled out his cell and called his assistant; telling him to have the Grimaldi helicopter readied. Luke then went to nurses' station and had them paged. He had an idea, but he wanted to check with them first.

Reid went into Chris' room and pulled Katie into the hallway. He wasn't sure if she had been updated on Chris' condition and he wanted to be the one to do it. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and joined her friend.

"Ok. Has anyone come to talk to you lately?" Reid asked and Katie just she shook her head no. "All right. Ah, there is a heart available in Bay City." He saw her gasp lightly, but now he was going to break her heart. "But it won't be coming here."

"What? Why?"

"Red tape and an arrogant son of bitch disguising himself as a heart surgeon." Reid was so frustrated and Katie could see it on his face and in his body.

"Don't they know that Chris will die without it?" She asked desperately; fresh tears falling down her cheeks. "How could they do this to him?" She asked and had to hold back the sob that was threatening to come out.

"I don't want you to worry. I am going to fix this. I am going to bring that heart to Chris."

"Because no one is more arrogant than you." Katie teased.

"And don't you ever doubt that." He smiled and pulled her into another hug. She sniffled deeply and rubbed her cheek against Reid's chest.

"I'm going to leave for a little while, but don't tell anyone where I'm going ok."

"What?" She asked as he looked up at her friend.

"I don't anyone to worry or get their hopes up too soon. All right."

"Ok." He kissed her forehead and she watched him walk towards the stairs. She felt the first bit of hope since Chris had been admitted. She knew that Reid would not let her down and would save Chris. She didn't want to be away from Chris for too long and slipped back into room. As she sat next to Chris' bed and slipped her hand into his, she prayed that everything would turn out.

Reid walked out to his car and stopped for a moment when he thought back to the last time he did this. He fidgeted with his keys while he stood there. He even closed his eyes to concentrate on his memory. He was standing in the parking lot with Luke and had never felt so calm in his life. He was in a stressful situation, but yet he was calm. It was all Luke. He remembered turning back just before getting in his car and seeing the late summer sun shining through his golden hair. He looked so beautiful and Reid could not resist the urge any longer. He felt it for a long time, but had not said it, that was until now.

_"_ _I_ _love_ _you._ _There,_ _I_ _said_ _it._ _"_

Reid sat in his car for a second and brushed the sadness he felt off his shoulders before he pulled out of his spot and drove towards Bay City.

Luke ran across the roof of Worldwide and hopped up into his company helicopter. He nodded hello at his pilot and slipped his headset over his ears. Buckling his himself in tight, he yelled 'Let's go' to the man sitting next to him.

"Where are we going exactly Mr. Snyder?"

"Bay City Memorial." Luke answered. He was going to go there and he was not leaving without that heart. He was going to save Chris or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OHHHHHH! Luke is finally taking matters into his own hands. The next chapter is pretty big. Get ready...that's all I'm saying.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake- Everything changes.  
> Stay Tuned!


	17. Day Dreams and Nightmares

Luke let his mind wander as the helicopter flew him to Bay City. He thought of Noah and how much he missed how they use to be. They loved each other and on some level he still did. But he wasn't the same person that fell in love with Noah all those years ago. Luke had changed as much as Noah did after the accident. Luke always thought that living without Noah would be torture, but he wasn't that idealistic kid anymore. He'd grown up. Maybe he would have with Noah, but that didn't matter anymore. He was going to move on. He was tired of the guilt. He was tired of the loneliness. Tired of feeling like he was less. But he really could not blame Noah for all that. He allowed himself to feel that way. He was as much to blame as Noah. It was unfair to blame Noah. He made a resolution to fix their relationship. Even if they could not be friends again, he would make it right with him. So they could both move on.

* * *

Reid sped right up into the Bay City Memorial emergency room driveway and jumped out of the car. He was looking forward to ripping into the Chief of Cardiology again. Knocking that arrogant son of a bitch down a few pegs had been one highlight of the last few years that he was looking forward to reliving. Seeing the heart doc's face fall and loose all of its color; it was what his dreams were made of.

Reid secured the cooler in the back seat of the car and pulled out of the driveway. He left tire marks as he screeched out and onto the road. He was only 30 minutes from Oakdale, but if he pushed the speed he could get there in twenty. He pulled his cell out and dialed John's phone. He answered on the first ring.

"John, its Oliver, get the OR ready. I've got the heart and should be there in twenty minutes,"

John breathed a sigh of relief. He was scared he would have to watch the son of his two dear friends die. He snapped his phone shut and heard the monitors going off in Chris' room. He ran inside and tried to stabilize Chris long enough for Reid to get here.

Reid arrived at Memorial in 18 minutes. He grabbed the cooler and ran up the four flights to the operating suites and passed the heart off to a waiting nurse. He looked through the windows and saw John call the room to action.

He had done it again.

He had saved Chris Hughes life. As soon as the adrenaline left him, his knees shook and his arms were heavy. He needed to sit down before he fell down. Reid slowly made his way to his office and collapsed onto his couch before the door had completely latched shut. His mind invariably went back to the last time he lived this. The first time he went through this, Luke was waiting to congratulate him. He wrapped his arms around Reid and whispered in his ear how proud he was of him. That night was the first night that they made love. Reid lay back on the couch and thought about that night.

* * *

After Chris had been given the all clear, they had gotten take-out from Al's and went back to Reid's. They sat in silence and ate their food; Luke with his turkey burger and Reid with his burger, chili fries, and tuna melt. After dinner, Luke cleared the garbage away and turned to look at Reid. He looked so tired and with the stress of the day that was understandable. Luke crouched down in front of Reid and looked up at his boyfriend. Luke lightly caressed Reid's cheek and the redhead leaned into his hand; a relaxing sigh left the doctor's body. He gave Reid a soft kiss and stood up.

"I'm gonna go," Luke said softly.

"What? Why?"

"Because you're exhausted. I can see it on your face. I'm gonna go and let you get some rest." Luke reached for his keys and Reid quickly grabbed his wrist; stopping the blonde's exit.

"Stay."

"Reid."

"Please. Take a nap with me," Reid suggested and Luke raised an eyebrow to that. "I'll behave; I swear. I just want to be near you." Luke couldn't exactly say no to that. He wondered if he would ever be able to say no to Reid. Luke's shoulders slumped and Reid knew that he was getting his way. With neither one of them saying another word, Reid linked his fingers with Luke's, stood to full height, and slowly walked them both towards Reid room. Reid entered the room and Luke followed closely behind.

Luke was not surprised when they entered room; everything had a place and everything was in its place. His desk had one stack of books and one stack of magazines sorted by size. Luke could see into Reid's open closet and saw all of his shirts sorted by color; maroon, black, and brown. The bed was the only place where rules and order did not seem to exist. The pillows were sideways and bunched to one side of the bed. The blankets were almost nearly off the bed and the top sheet was balled up at the foot of the bed. Luke bit the inside of his lip to keep himself from laughing. He then felt Reid let go of his hand and watched him step across the room to his dresser.

Luke just stood there and watched Reid. He could see the muscles of his back move under his shirt. His shirt rode ever so slightly when he bent over; revealing his creamy back. Luke had always been an admirer of Reid's butt; he took advantage every time he could. Reid turned around and handed Luke a pair of blue scrubs and a black t-shirt. Normally Luke would not have changed to take a nap, but he was getting a chance to wear Reid's clothes. So, he took it. He took what was being offered and went into the bathroom to change.

Luke folded his clothes and set them down on top of the vanity, but stopped before leaving the bathroom. He saw Reid's toothbrush sitting in the holder; in the left slot facing to the left. His razor was resting to the right of the faucet. His aftershave and deodorant was sitting to the left of the faucet with both labels facing out. If it wasn't Reid, Luke would have thought that who owned this bathroom was cra-zy. But with Reid, it just seemed to fit. Luke made sure to move a few things around before he joined Reid.

He opened the door and saw Reid sitting on the bed; waiting. Reid was wearing a matching pair of scrub bottoms and a grey novelty t-shirt, Luke was sure it was a gift from Katie. He smiled when read the shirt; "Neurosurgeon by Day…Superhero by Night…". Reid looked up and saw Luke standing just inside the room in his blue scrubs and black Harvard Med t-shirt. Luke's skin looked even milkier against the black cotton and he couldn't help but comment on it.

"Looks good on you."

"Feels pretty good too."

"We have a problem." Reid said in his dry tone. Luke swallowed and his old insecurities popped up.

"What?"

"What side of the bed do you sleep on?" Reid smirked and Luke wanted to hit him.

"Ah, right I guess, but I'm good with either." He answered and wiped his hands on his thighs. Reid noticed, but pretended that he didn't. He slid back onto the bed and waited for Luke to join him. Luke took a deep breath and joined him; taking the vacate place on the right side of the bed. Luke lay on his side and Reid lay behind him; his arm tightly around Luke's waist. They fit together rather well. Luke had never been more relaxed. He felt Reid warm breath on the back of his neck and any stress he was carrying melted away. This was exactly where he wanted to be. Reid could feel Luke's body let go next to him; his back moved tighter and tighter against his chest. He _knew_ something good was going to happen when he woke up that morning.

* * *

 

Reid felt his body being pulled away from sleep; despite his protests. His eyes slowly opened. He could see that the light outside was nearly gone. The room had a soft purple glow to it; sure sign that the summer was ending. His eyes then focused on his bed companion. Luke was facing him and was perfect. His bow tie lips were slightly parted and his eye lids fluttered lightly in his sleep. Reid wondered what he was dreaming. Reid reluctantly pulled himself out of bed for a quick trip to the bathroom. As he came back into his bedroom, he stopped in the doorway and watched Luke sleep. Reid was content; he never remembered being this content his whole life. He wasn't sure what this feeling was exactly until he looked at Luke's peaceful face. He was happy and in love with Luke Snyder.

Reid carefully slipped back into bed and lightly caressed Luke's cheek. He always had this need to touch him. As if he was an apparition that would disappear at any moment. Luke shifted in his sleep and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Reid's blue eyes staring back at him. Luke smiled and moved closer to Reid; tucking his nose against Reid's neck. Luke had smelled Reid cologne in the past, but never directly from his skin; he never wanted to smell it any other way. Reid arms wrapped tighter around Luke and the two men laid in silence for a few minutes.

It was Luke to move first and it was light. He slipped his hand under Reid t-shirt, lightly caressing the skin of the redhead's lower back. He felt goose bumps pebble his skin as Luke begun to brush his fingertips up and down his ribs.

"Careful there Snyder. You might start something that I won't want to stop." Reid whispered and pulled back slightly to gauge how Luke was going to react. Luke eyes slowly opened and his gaze locked with Reid's. Luke didn't say anything. He softly ran his hand along the edge of Reid's sleep pants. Luke could feel Reid's breath stagger; emboldening him to continue. Reid actually growled and rolled Luke onto his back; nestling his body between Luke's thighs.

"I don't want to stop anything." Luke whispered and pulled Reid's t-shirt off; tossing it to the floor. Reid quickly devoured Luke's mouth and ground his body into the blonde. Luke moaned into Reid's kiss; digging his fingers into the skin of Reid's lower back. Reid slid his hands under Luke's shirt and pulled it off so quickly that the fabric burned Luke's neck. After all the stops and starts that the two of them had had to endure the last few months, Reid wanted to be sure before he continued at his current rate.

"Luke, wait." Reid pulled back and lightly caressed Luke's cheek. He could feel Luke skin was getting hotter and hotter by the second. "We don't have to do this now. We can wait until you're really ready. Don't think that I…," Luke cut him off by sliding his hand deep into the front of Reid's scrub bottoms; cupping him fully. Reid gasped and his eyes slid shut. He had to rest his forehead against Luke's as the blonde quicken his movement.

"I'm done waiting." Luke answered in a husky whisper. That voice almost didn't sound like Luke, but if this was what "Sex Luke" sounded like; Reid was going to be one happy man. Both of them shucked their remaining clothes and set to exploring each other.

An hour later, the two of them lay sated and sweaty on Reid's bed. The crumbled sheets were even more in disarray and they both knew that showers were in order, but the idea of moving at this moment seemed too draining. Luke was on his side, his head resting on Reid's chest. Luke could hear Reid's steady heart rate; trying not to fall asleep to it. Reid was lightly brushing his fingers tips up and down Luke's spine. He could not think of any time in his life other than this moment when he was so unbelievably happy. He had everything he had ever wanted. A new neurological wing that was days away from breaking ground. He was first in line for Chief of Staff; despite what Doogie and his mommy wanted. He had friends and that was a miracle in its self. And he had Luke. The most amazing person he had ever had the privilege of meeting and he had somehow managed to get Luke to fall in love with him. His life was, dare he say, perfect.

"I love you, Reid Oliver." Luke said softly. Reid felt his heart skip; that's right his heart skips now. He pulled Luke closer to him, kissed the top of the blonde's head, and let out a long sigh. He would have rolled his eyes at the sappiness of the current situation, but was just too tired to even attempt it.

"I love you too, Luke Snyder."

Both men were then slowly lulled to sleep. Luke by the soft thumping under Reid's ribcage and Reid by the warm breaths from Luke that washed over him.

* * *

Reid awoke to the sound of his pager going off; he'd been asleep for maybe a half hour. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in his little dingy office and it was 2010. He groaned as he sat up, his back twitched making him groan even louder, and he grabbed his pager from his desk. A 9-1-1 in the ER. He had just saved the spawn of the Chief of Staff and that didn't garner a break. He threw on his lab coat and ran down to the ER, taking the stairs two at a time.  
As he entered the ER, it seemed that the entire floor was a bit more active than normal. He had worked in half a dozen different ER's in his career and nearly all of them were often times filled to capacity. Memorial was not like those. At times sure there were occasions where they had to deal with a swarm of patients, but to see the franticness of the nurses and interns running around, in a nearly empty ER, was unusual for memorial.

"I was paged!" He yelled to Carrie Eagan, Head Nurse in charge of the OR.

"There was a copter accident and wounded just arrived. There are two victims; exam rooms 1 and 2. Exam room 2 is stable, exam 1 is worse off. I would have paged Dr. Hughes, but…," Reid quickly waved her off. He quickly marched to exam room 1 and his heart stopped.

There, lying on the gurney, was Luke.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He must be having a nightmare. He was really back in his office having the worst dream in his life. At that exact instant, a nurse brushed past him, stepping on his toe. He growled in pain and knew in that moment that he was not dreaming, but he was experiencing the worst moment of his life.

"Dr. Oliver!" Reid heard his name being called and snapped back to reality. He moved around the half-dozen people working around Luke and stepped to his side.

"What happened?" He tried to keep his voice as normal as possible.

"Helicopter crash. About ten miles outside the city limits." He watched as the nurses begun cutting away Luke's clothes.

"Give me the run down." Reid could feel bile rising into his throat.

"23 year old male. He's stable, at the moment. Multiple contusions, lacerations, and broken bones, x-rays reveal four ribs, left arm, and sternum all fractured. Both legs are broken and head injury highly possible. "

"I'll be the judge of that!" He spat back at the resident. Reid stepped closer to Luke and looked at him. He was extremely pale and blood caked his face. There was a deep cut along his hairline that ran down to his right temple. His bottom lip had a deep gash and he may have lost a few front teeth. Luke's right leg was definitely broken and his femur was poking through his pant leg. There were bruises developing all over his torso. Reid could only imagine how severe the accident had been.

He finally pulled himself together; shaking his head to clear it. Reid flashed a light in both of Luke's eyes and barely got a reaction out of either. "Head CT now people, let's go!" Of course Luke would be brought here. Oakdale Memorial Hospital, "Home of the Best Neurosurgeon" in the country; Reid suddenly hated that title.

Luke was quickly moved for a CT scan and Reid prayed that it wasn't as serious as he thought it was. But he was wrong. He needed to do surgery to help alleviate the pressure on Luke's brain. It was already affecting his body, but Reid was afraid that it would get worse without intervention.

Reid quickly ordered Luke prepped for surgery and went to scrub in. His hands were shaking and he didn't know how to stop them. He couldn't do this. There were reasons why doctors were not allowed to treat loved ones. They would never be able to make those unbiased decisions; the hard choices. But Reid was not a loved one of Luke's. He was nothing to Luke; an argument could not be made for his bowing out. Plus no one had a tenth of his skill or could get here in time to save him.  He did not trust anyone else to do half as well as he could.

The room was completely silent when he walked in, save for Luke's respirator and heart monitor. Right at this moment he knew that those two sounds were more precious to him than any other sound in the world. He moved to the gurney and looked down at Luke. He was unconscious and his head was shaved nearly completely bald. His scalp had been sterilized, his anesthesia was dripping, and blood bags were at the ready. Reid moved closer to Luke and leaned forward; bringing his mouth to Luke's left ear.

"Do me one favor Luke. Keep breathing. Please. Just keep breathing. If you do that, I will do everything else to save you," Reid quietly whispered into Luke's ear. He straightened his spine and looked around the operating room. His staff stood waiting for his instructions.

"Stop gawking! We need to get back to work!"

The room erupted in activity as Reid walked around to the edge of the gurney. He was looking down at Luke's shaved head; he reached for his scalpel and made his first incision.

* * *

Four hours later Reid walked out of the OR. He had done it. He had done everything he could to save Luke; the rest was up to him. He didn't even remember talking to Luke's parents or the rest of family. The next thing he did remember was walking into his office. As soon as he heard the door click shut, his legs gave out. He collapsed right where he was standing. He leaned back heavily against to door. What the hell happened? How could this be reality? He suddenly felt his stomach fight against him. Reid launched himself towards his trash and emptied the limited contents of his stomach into the metal can. Reid allowed the rest of his body let go and he lay down on the cold linoleum. What was he going to do? How could he fix this? Before he realized it, Reid had passed out on the floor behind his desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry; that's all I can say.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Reid comes to terms.  
> Stay Tuned!


	18. Playlist

Reid eyes slowly opened and he was staring up at the off-white ceiling tiles of his office. It took all of two seconds for the last the twenty-four hours to come rushing back. His heart burned and his stomach clenched. He needed to get up. He needed to get up and check on Luke. He grasped onto the top edge of his desk and pulled himself to his feet. He could feel his head sway and he shook it off. There were more important things to worry about right now. He straightened his back and walked out into the hall. After a quick check, he found out that Luke had been moved to the fifth floor. He took the stairs and walked out onto Luke's floor. He looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly 10pm. Floor was nearly empty; visiting hours ended hours ago and with Luke's condition, his room should be devoid of family or friends.

He pulled his chart from the nurses' station and quietly slipped into Luke's room. The lights were dim and the room was as quiet as a tomb. Reid immediately felt sick when he realized what he was just thinking. He opened his chart and went over his last set of readings. All of his stats looked good, but this was going to be a long road. Reid wouldn't be able to gauge his brain function until he wakes and with his injuries that was going to be a long wait.

But Luke could do this. He can beat this. He had to. If Reid knew anything about Luke anymore it was that he was a fighter. Their past relationship was a good indication of that. Reid remembered a fight that lasted for two weeks because Luke would not let Reid apologize. Who does that? Well, apparently Luke does. Reid checked to be sure that no one was milling around and pulled a chair closer to Luke's bed. He swallowed the lump that was becoming permanently lodged in his throat and fought the urge to hold Luke's hand.

"Luke? It's Dr. Oliver, ah, it's Reid. I don't know why I am so nervous…I've talked to you before. But I guess that you just make me nervous. You always did, did you know that? Whenever I was around you I could never get my footing. I always felt like I was scrambling to grab hold and you were always three steps ahead of me. I bet you know all of this though. You always were smarter than me." The door opened and Reid quickly brushed away the tear that had begun to fall. He looked over his shoulder and saw the night nurse coming in to change Luke's IV bags.

"Oh. I'm sorry doctor. I can come back."

"Ah, no. I'm done. You can do your job." He quickly got up and left the room. He had an idea. It was a long shot but he needed to at least try. He couldn't just sit there and wait. He drove to his place and went back about an hour later. It was almost midnight when Reid slipped inside Luke's room.

The soft hush of the ventilator and the quiet beep of the heart monitor were the only sounds in the room. The lights were set to their lowest setting and Luke was still unconscious. Reid had done all he could do for Luke, no matter what he told himself. There was nothing more he could do. It was all up to Luke. Reid grabbed the chair that was sitting against the wall and placed it next to the bed. He slowly sat down, his eyes never leaving Luke, and reached out for the blonde. Luke's hand was so cold and limp, the opposite of how Reid remembered him.

Whenever Luke touched Reid, his fingers were always moving. When they held hands, Luke's thumb always caressed the back of Reid's hand. When Luke would hug Reid, his hands always made soothing motions against the redhead's back or tangled in his curls. It was a way for Luke to say 'I'm here' or 'I love you' whenever they touched. Reid had never realized that until Luke didn't do it anymore. Just before Luke moved out, they were never around each other enough to touch the other. Thinking back on it now, Reid missed that. He missed all the little things.

Reid swallowed deeply and coughed to clear his throat. He always told friends and family of his patients that speaking to someone in a coma never hurt. It was comforting to the patient and their support network. It gave everyone something to hold on to.

"Luke, it's Reid. I don't know if you can hear me. Knowing you, you can. I can't imagine you ever not fighting. You are the strongest person I have ever known. Stronger than me. I need you to fight Luke. You have to. I need you," Reid paused, swallowing back the lump in his throat.

"We're married. I bet you didn't know that. In another time or place, I'm not sure which. We're married. We got married on June 16th, 2012. It was a small wedding at the pond. You looked so beautiful. You were wearing, ah, white suit with a dark brown shirt underneath. When I first saw you that day, I almost stopped breathing. The whole time we were there, saying our vows, I was praying the ceremony would finish before you changed your mind.

"When we first met you drove me crazy. I think I was in love with you then, but I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe that someone as amazing as you would like me, let alone love me. So I pushed you away. I knew that I could never have you, so I wanted you to hate me. I wanted to hate me so you wouldn't be around me. So I wouldn't be reminded of what could never be. But you did love me back, and I was careless with that. You gave me your heart and I broke it. I couldn't be what you needed. I am so sorry that I didn't take care of that amazing gift you gave me. And I thought not being with you this time would save you from that. But I couldn't be mean to you this time. So I went with indifferent, but I think that may have been even more cruel. But you have always been smarter than me. You knew that I had fallen in love with you. That night that you came to see me, the night of Noah's surgery…I lied to you that night. I told you that I didn't want you. I have to tell you, that was painful for me to do. You are all I have ever wanted. I would give up everything to see you smile at me.

"I need you to wake up Luke. I will do whatever you want for the rest of my life if you would just wake up. You are important to so many people here. You're the glue in so many lives, you can't give up now. You hear me? Please, Luke. Please. Don't give up."

Reid reached into the small bag that he carried into the room and placed a small iPod speaker on the portable table. He slid it closer to Luke's bedside and plugged his iPod into the dock. He swept through several screens and came to the playlist he wanted. When he first started on the path to stay out of Luke's life, he realized that it was going to be difficult. Reid went sappy and he knew it, but he created a playlist that reminded him of Luke. Songs that they liked and ones that helped him remember the good times with Luke. There was one that, the one, that he downloaded first. He hit play and Beyoncé's version of "At Last" softly filled the room.

It was their first dance on their wedding day.

"This was our first dance. I insisted on choosing the first song. You were worried I'd pick something dirty or old. I'm not sure how you managed to get to those extremes, but you were probably right worry." As the song continued, Reid got lost in the memory of their reception.

* * *

The wedding had gone off exactly how they planned. They had service at the pond with a dance in a tent that was erected in one of the open fields at Snyder Farm. Reid wasn't a farm person in any shape or form, but he wanted Luke to have his perfect day. Luke was gorgeous and Reid felt amazing. The buffet was huge! That was one of Reid only requests; one of two actually. A buffet with all the fixings; he even made Luke a list of the things he wanted on it. Luke teased him that nearly half the money they were spending was going towards food. Reid shrugged it off and told him to open the checkbook. No scrimping on their big day.

Reid's other request was that he got to pick the first song. Luke warned him that his mother, grandmothers and baby siblings were going to be there; worried that his future husband was going to embarrass him. Reid took this seriously. He wanted to find just the right song. It had nothing to do with the other guests; this was about Luke. He wanted to do this for Luke. Show Luke just how much he wanted this and him. Luke was sitting with his dad, Casey, and his older brother, Aaron. They were laughing and joking around. Luke had a glow. He radiated from the inside out; complete and utter happiness was what Luke called it later. Reid nodded to the DJ and his voice came over the sound system.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the first dance. Would the two grooms please come to the dance floor?" Reid walked across the dance floor and extended his hand to Luke. The blonde immediately blushed and slipped his hand into Reid's. He pulled Luke to his feet and led them. They walked out onto the wooden dance floor and Reid turned to face Luke. Just looking at Luke this happy made him want to jump him right there, but he had a feeling that Luke may not like that; especially with his entire family tree watching. The music swelled and Luke laughed at Reid's choice. It was appropriate; it was the exact same way he saw Reid.

_**At** _ _**last** _ _**my** _ _**love** _ _**has** _ _**come** _ __**along  
My ** _**lonely** _ _**days** _ _**are** _ _**over  
And ** _ _**life** _ _**is** _ _**like** _ _**a** _ __**song**

"I knew you were a big softie," Luke murmured as they started to sway to Beyonce's voice. Reid grunted in response. "If you're not careful, everyone at the hospital will know it too,"

"Please. After this romantic display, do you know how many nurses that I will have to make cry to get my street cred back? They better keep their mouths shut if they know what's good for them,"

_**I** _ _**found** _ _**a** _ _**dream,** _ _**that** _ _**I** _ _**could** _ _**speak** _ __**to  
A ** _**dream** _ _**that** _ _**I** _ _**can** _ _**call** _ _**my** _ __**own  
I ** _**found** _ _**a** _ _**thrill** _ _**to** _ _**press** _ _**my** _ _**cheek** _ _**to  
A ** _ _**thrill** _ _**that** _ _**I** _ _**have** _ _**never** _ __**known**

Reid ducked his head down and into Luke's neck; softly peppering kisses just under his jaw. Luke could feel shivers run up his body and back again. Reid kissed the skin right next to his ear and whispered ever so softly.

"I cannot wait to get you back to our place. The whole sleeping apart thing last night had only made me want you even more. I wanted to feel you underneath me and on top of me. In just three hours and 37 minutes, I'm going to have you all fours and begging for more."

"You know that I blush easy. And if you keep saying things like that, I am going to be all red and everyone will know that you were saying very dirty things to me,"

"Are you kidding? Your mom thinks that I have been corrupting you since the day we met. Why fight it?" Reid whispered into Luke ear. Luke threw back his head in laughter and then buried his nose into Reid's neck. He loved the way his skin smelled on the edge of his jaw; spicy, a little sweet, and all Reid.

_**Ohh** _ _**yeah** _ __**yeah  
You ** _**smile,** _ _**you** _ __**smile  
oh ** _**And** _ _**then** _ _**the** _ _**spell** _ _**was** _ __**cast  
And ** _**here** _ _**we** _ _**are** _ _**in** _ _**heaven  
For ** _ _**you** _ _**are** _ _**mine** _ _**at** _ __**last**

"Are you still going to find me irresistible and have hot sex on the kitchen floor when I start getting grey hair?"

"Are you kidding? The older you get the less I feel like a dirty old man. Now shut up and enjoy the dance. Because it will be a long time before I dance in front of people again."

 

Reid sat down and listened to the song a couple more times, but he started to drift off to sleep. And that was where the day nurse found him the next morning.

* * *

"Dr. Oliver?" The nurse was a little surprised, but tried not to show it. She didn't want to give him anymore ammunition than he already had.

"Ah, yeah." He stretched the kinks out of his neck and stood up. He checked Luke's vitals and made notes on his chart. The nurse took the adjustments to Luke's chart and left him alone again. Reid looked at his watch and saw that it was just after four in the morning. He lightly brushed Luke's cheek with the back of his hand. He could hear the respirator and his heart monitor. He leaned forward and softly kissed his forehead.

"I love you Luke."

And Reid exited the room. He needed to get some sleep. He went to office and lay down on his small couch. A few hours were all he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Reid. His plans didn't work out quite right.  
> Next time on Reconstruction of a Mistake - Reid Loses and Gretchen Tried to Help.  
> Stay Tuned!


	19. Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Sorry.

Reid walked down the hall that led to Luke's room. He had managed to get a few hours sleep in his office; he'd functioned on less before. As he got closer to Luke's door, he could see Lily being held by an extremely pale Holden. He could see Lily was shaking and was barely able to stand; her body was racked in sobs. Reid quickened his pace and ran straight into Luke's room. The bed was half stripped and machines were being rolled out. Reid was in a daze, only half grasping what was happening. Bob came in at that moment and found Reid.

"Reid, I was just about to page you."

"What happened? Where's Luke?"

"I'm sorry Reid."

"What. Happened?" He punctuated his words harshly, trying to keep himself calm.

"Luke stroked. A Code Blue was called and we tried to bring him back for about 30 minutes. T.O.D. was called about 45 minutes ago."

"Why wasn't I paged?

"It happened so quick, there was nothing any of us could have done."

"I should have been here! I should have been paged Bob!" Reid's anger was obvious.

"Dr. Oliver, you need to calm down! We all cared about Luke and we did everything possible to resuscitate him. Sometimes that just isn't enough." Bob remarked, defending his staff. Luke's initial injuries were so severe he was surprised the young man survived as long as he did. He was also surprised by Reid's apparent attachment to Luke. Bob watched as Reid slowly turned and stepped out into the hall. Reid glanced once at the sobbing Lily and grief stricken Holden and walked down the hall. Bob followed him out and watched him enter the stairwell; the large metal door closing behind him.

* * *

Reid stood in the stairwell for a few moments, not knowing what to do with himself. Reid's heart started to race and his body broke out in a cold sweat as the news of what Bob told him begun to truly sink in.

Luke was gone. His Luke.

How?

Why?

Reid's mind was jumbled, swirling mass of thoughts. He didn't know which way was up or down. He wanted to get out. To see the sun and breathe fresh air; he felt like he was suffocating. He started up the stairs and after a floor or two he found himself running. He ran the ten flights to the roof and catapulted through the door. He was gasping for air and his stomach fought against itself.

Reid took a deep breath and screamed. He screamed long and hard. He screamed until his throat was raw and his voice was gone. His shaking legs finally gave up and he collapsed onto the tar roof. The sobs came next. Reid's anguish poured out of him. He leaned forward on the roof and rested his forehead there. He clawed at the roof; digging his nails into the tar.

Reid had no idea how long he had been there when he heard the door open and shut again. He didn't get up, he didn't care who saw him. He felt a comforting hand rub his back for moment and the person stepped back.

"Reid?" The voice sounded familiar and he turned to face it. It was Gretchen. She looked so worried for the doctor. She had never seen him so vulnerable and heart-broken.

"I want to go back. If I tell someone about 'The Do-Over' I can go back, can't I? I mean I told Luke, those are the rules right?"  He sat up and back onto his heels.

"I'm sorry Reid. It doesn't work that way. I wish it did. You've gone too far in this life to go back now."

"What? It wasn't supposed to be like this! Luke was not supposed to die!"

"These were your choices! Don't blame me because of the way things worked out!"

"He had so much to give!" He sobbed; trying to catch his breath.  He looked down at his hands and saw the blood coming from ends of his broken nails.

"I'm sorry. I really am." She wanted to hug him, take away his pain. He leaned forward on his hands and let the tears come again.

* * *

Reid walked slowly down the long hallway to a set of heavy doors. He never came down here. When one of his patients died, he never saw where their body went. But this was different. This was Luke. He didn't want him to be left alone. Luke hated to be by himself and Reid wanted just a little more time with him. He pushed open the doors and slipped inside.

The room was cold and pretty empty and as quiet as a morgue should be. There was a bank of drawers along one wall for bodies in various states. Reid grabbed the shift log off the wall and leafed through it looking for Luke's name. There was usually a number next to each name stating which drawer they were in; it was their address until they were picked up for burial. There was no notation next to Luke's name; that meant that Luke was lying on a table in the middle of the room. A white sheet was draped over his body. Reid inched closer and pulled the sheet away from Luke's face. Reid didn't pull the sheet any lower than that. He didn't want to see Luke's injuries again; he didn't want those burned into his memory for the rest of his life. Reid took in a long shaky breath, trying to keep the tears at bay. At least until he got home.

Most of Luke's hair had been shaved for his surgery, but there were still long blonde whips that fell across his forehead and covered his ears. He had a couple smears of lipstick on his cheek. No doubt from Lily, Lucinda, Emma, and Katie. Reid, using the sleeve of his lab coat, wiped the spots clean and his finger lightly grazed the corner of Luke's lip. He couldn't resist. He lightly brushed his fingertips across Luke's lips. Feeling the softness and remembering the warmth that use to there; the warm feeling that flooded his body when his lips touched Luke's. He brushed Luke's bangs off his face and to the right, just the way Luke liked to wear them when his hair got longer. He let the soft strands linger between his fingers. He looked so peaceful and still so fragile.

The banging of the double doors made Reid jump and he looked over his shoulder. Marcus, the morgue tech, was bringing in another full gurney draped in a sheet.

"Oh! I didn't know anyone was here. I'm usually down here alone," Marcus said. "Dr. Oliver?"

"Yeah. Can I have a few minutes? I want to say a few goodbyes," he said not looking at the younger tech.

"Oh, sure, doctor. I'll be in the office if you need anything," he said and left Dr. Oliver alone.

Reid cleared his throat, trying to swallow the lump that was there.

"Luke, I, ah," he started and then reached over to grab a rolling stool. He sat down and he could feel goose bumps crawl across his skin. "Luke, I wanted to say that I'm sorry," once he got that out it was easy for the rest to come. "I am so sorry. I tried to save you. I wanted to make you better, but I wasn't good enough," he laughed lightly and his next thought came out in a soft whisper. "I was never good enough in so many ways," Reid leaned forward onto the table and started to lightly brush his fingers through Luke's hair.

"We had a life together. I know you don't remember that, but it was a great one. The best I ever had. But I screwed it up. You deserved so much better than me. You always were the better of the two of us. You made me into a better doctor and an even better man.

"But I was given a choice and I gave you up. I thought I knew better. I thought your life would be better without me in it. I knew mine wouldn't be without you, but I was willing to sacrifice all of it for you. I wanted you to have everything that you ever dreamed for; everything that I couldn't give you. I realize now that I…I would go through all of it again. The fighting, the pain, you coming to your senses and leaving me. I would welcome all of it and more just to see you smile or laugh again.

"All of this is my fault and I'm sorry that you got hurt because of it. I would gladly take on a train if I knew that you were going to be ok. I love you Luciano Eduardo Oliver. I will love you until my last breath. Thank you for making me the man I always wanted to be," Reid leaned forward and softly kissed the corner of Luke's mouth. He rested his forehead against Luke's temple and ran his fingers through the blonde's silky hair. He took in a long breath, through his nose and out of his mouth. He wished that he could smell Luke, but he couldn't. Instead of that warm mix of cinnamon and vanilla that encompassed Luke's scent, all Reid could smell was antiseptic, and gauze, and adhesive tape. He knew that Luke was gone, that he wasn't really there anymore, but it was so hard to say goodbye. Reid bit the inside of his cheek and said it.

"Goodbye Luke," his voice catching. "I'll love you forever," he whispered in his ear and then slowly stood up. He quietly pulled the sheet over Luke's body and watched it settle over him. He pulled down on the edge of his lap coat to straighten it, rubbed the tears out of his eyes, and off his cheeks. He turned to leave, but stopped. He gave his husband one more look and disappeared down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but please don't hate me.  
> There are about four chapters after this one.  
> It gets better. I promise.  
> Next time on Reconstruction - Oakdale says goodbye and Noah confesses something to Reid.  
> Stay Tuned!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I'm back!  
> My Toshiba laptop and I have parted ways over creative differences.   
> I wanted him to compute and he didn't. But, it's cool, we'll always be friends.  
> My new Hp Pavilion is so pretty!  
> Anyway, I can start posting again.
> 
> Hang on, the angst is not over, but the story almost is. There are about four more chapters.  
> Enjoy!

Luke's funeral was several days later. Reid was standing in his room; straightening his tie. He had been functioning on automatic for the last few days. After he said goodbye to Luke, he had turned on all of his defenses; building all his walls even thicker. He could hear Katie moving around in her room; getting ready. She had been doing much better now that Chris was on the mend and Reid couldn't help but be jealous. Katie had her love and Reid lost his. She still didn't know that Reid had been in love with Luke and he was not planning on telling her. He didn't want to be like this, he didn't want to take out his grief on his friend. He had to try to keep himself in check around her and not blow up at her.

"Are you ready?" Katie asked as she poked her head inside Reid's bedroom.

"Yeah." He said and grabbed his suit jacket. Sliding it on as they walked out to Katie's car.

The church was as somber as were the people inside of it. There was little to no talking and faint music was playing. Reid stopped quick when he walked inside and Katie also tripped over Reid's feet. At the end of the aisle, just short of the alter was Luke's casket. It was a long white coffin, polished to a sharp shine. The lid was open and people were slowing making their condolences. Katie slipped her arm through Reid's and they walked up together. Reid's legs felt like they were full of sand and he wanted to stop. He didn't want to see Luke all dressed for his funeral. He didn't want to be here at all, but this was how it was, there was no going back.

Reid wanted to tell the Snyders how important Luke was to them. He wanted to tell them everything, but there was no way to tell them. He couldn't tell them that he was in love with their son and would continue to love him. That they had a life together and it would always be the highlight of his life. He had managed to sort of let them know. He wrote his thoughts down on paper and left the letter at the farm. He wanted them to know that Luke meant something to someone and would not be forgotten. He mattered to someone other than his family.

Katie took his hand and they slid into a pew along with Henry and Barbara. It was really something to see, all of Oakdale had come out for this. He knew that Luke was loved and respected, but to actually see the people here; it made Reid take a breath.

Holden walked up to alter and looked out over the full church. He remembered Luke's baptism and confirmation in this church. When Luke got sick as a teen and needed a transplant, Holden readied himself for Luke's funeral. He and Emma even started to plan it, but after he got a new kidney; Holden felt like he could breathe again. Luke was well and he would never have to plan his service again. But here he was eight years later and he was burying his son. He took a few breaths and pulled a folded sheet of paper from his suit pocket.

"First, I want to thank everyone for coming. Looking out at all of your faces, I can see that Luke was deeply loved and will be missed. I was lucky enough to be there when Luke took his first breath and I was even luckier to be there when he took his last. It helps me to know that I was with him until the end. My son was amazing with a pure heart. I used to tell Luke, when he was little, that I wanted to be just like him when I grew up," Holden laughed and light laughter rose up from the assembled party. "Even if I lived to be 150, I wouldn't come close to being as great a man as Luke had become. When planning this I knew that I wanted to say something, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say, but someone helped me there. A letter was left at my house yesterday and I wanted to read it to you," Holden unfolded the white slip of paper and smoothed it out on the alter. Reid shifted uncomfortably, praying that it wasn't what he thought it was. Holden cleared his throat and begun to read.

_"Luke Snyder wasn't perfect and he would be the first to tell you that. He was flawed and made decisions and choices that he shouldn't have. But Luke was also the strongest person I ever had the privilege to know. Luke had an interesting life to say the least, but he never let his past affect his future. All he wanted to be was a good friend, cousin, grandson, brother, son and partner. Luke was all of those things and so much more. When he saw misfortune or suffering he didn't sit back and wonder what to do, he did something. And that need to help ended up taking him from us. And even sometimes when he should have just kept his mouth shut, Luke never backed down. We were all lucky to have known the amazingly flawed person that was Luke Snyder. I loved him and was even luckier to be loved by him. I will miss you Luke. I only regret that Luke didn't get the chance to show the rest of the world what all of us already knew. All of our hearts have a deep hole that cannot be filled. The world is much emptier without him in it."_

Reid bowed his head and silently wept for Luke; so quietly Katie didn't even notice. He was going to get through this, but it was only going to get worse before the end.

* * *

The reception was at the farm and seemed like nearly all of Oakdale was there. Kids were playing outside while people were filtering in and out of the house. Emma had done her magic and made an impressive spread. Reid figured it was grief cooking; doing something to distract herself from how much pain she was in. He really wasn't hungry, but managed to eat something. He didn't need to make anyone suspicious or have anyone question him as not being himself. Appearances and all that. Lily was sitting in the corner of the parlor with Carly on one side and her mother on the other. They sat quietly and others came up to her to share their condolences. Reid thought he saw Holden standing outside talking to Jack and Aaron. Reid didn't know where he belonged or what to do with himself.

He thought of Luke and realized that this was the first Snyder family function that he was at that Luke wasn't right beside him. Whenever they went to these sort of things, Luke managed to make things easier for him. Steering Reid towards the food and keeping people from talking to him for too long. It was one of the many ways that Luke took care Reid, he only realized it now that he was gone. He needed to get out of here. Making sure that no one was looking, he slipped up the back stairs and went up to Luke's room. The floor squeaked in all the places he remembered and the whole house smelled of cinnamon.

He brushed his fingers across the door knob before he turned it. He stepped inside and felt his heart ache. This room was Luke's and he would never be here or sleep in here again. He closed the door and wandered around the room. He could see proposals he had been working on, sketches for the wing that he had scribbled out. About half a dozen half-read books sitting on his bedside table. The bed was made, but it was messily done. Typical Luke. Reid smiled at the thought of Luke quickly making his bed before running out the door. He sat on the bed and looked around. Pictures of Luke as a kid; most were family pictures with his siblings. There was one that he had never seen before. He walked across the room and pulled a picture from his cork message board. He was wearing a dark green sweatshirt with the buttons were open. His hair was short and this bangs were swept across his forehead. He was just smiling, his shining smile. He look so good and this was how Reid would remember him. He slipped the photo into his pocket and didn't feel guilty about it. He turned back to the bed and saw something green sticking out from under Luke's bed. He bent over and snatched the cloth. It was one of Reid's favorites. It was his dark green short sleeve Henley with white underneath it. Reid lightly thumbed the shirt before he tucked into his pants pocket. He knew that it was weird that he took it, but he just needed to have some connection to him. As he tucked the shirt away, Noah entered the room.

"Dr. Oliver?"

"Yeah, hi Noah."

"Hi. What are you doing in here?"

"I was looking for the bathroom and I got turned around."

"Oh. It's across the hall actually." Noah said and sat down on the bed. "I've spent a lot of time in this house and all of those memories have Luke in them. I don't know how I'm going to be able to come here again and not think of him. Maybe that's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah." Reid did not want to hear this. He didn't want to hear about them, together, in this house, in this room. The idea of them together made him angry and did not want memories from Noah POV on top of that. "I'll leave you alone."

"It's hard to hear everyone say what a great couple we were, knowing that Luke broke up with me the day before he died."

"What?" He asked and stopped in his tracks.

"We were having breakfast and he told me that he didn't want to be with me anyone. We probably would have worked through it, but that was our last conversation. I never got to talk to him again." Noah looked down at his hands and Reid felt bad for the young brunette. "Not sure why I'm telling you this. I guess I just don't know what to do."

"I'm sure he loved you Noah. Don't doubt that." It felt odd to Reid to be reassuring Noah about Luke's affections, but Luke loved everyone. No matter what happened between the two men, a part of Luke would always love Noah.

"Thanks. Do you think I could be alone for a few minutes?"

"Yeah, sure. See you later." Reid walked out of the room and was quickly out of the house. He found himself standing by the pond. He had a lot of memories of Luke in this place. He knew that he was going to have to let Luke go, but he knew that he was going to feel this way for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reid is doing a little growing up.  
> Whatta think? Hit review and let me know!  
> Next time on Reconstruction - Reid is given one more choice and he opens up to Katie.  
> Stay Tuned!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise...it will get better and all will make sense.  
> This story is mostly a Reid story, just keep that in mind.  
> Enjoy!

It had been a week since Luke's funeral and Reid was functioning, but just. He was going to work, eating when he was hungry, and spending time with Katie. But he got nearly no joy out of any of it. He was at loose ends. He was so close to leaving town. Pulling up stakes and making a new place for himself somewhere else. It was the wing that was keeping him here. Luke's dream was to build this wing and Reid was going to see that through. After that, he didn't know. He was looking into the fridge when he heard someone knocking on the door. Reid sighed and went to answer; praying that it wasn't someone annoying.

He opened the door and saw Gretchen standing in the hallway. She looked as broken as he felt. He wanted to blame her, as if she made all of this happen, but deep down he knew that wasn't true. He knew that all of this was really his fault.

"Can I come in?"

They had been sitting on the couch for about ten minutes before Reid said something.

"I didn't think it would be this hard, you know? Saying goodbye to him. I don't know what to do with myself. This was why I never got attached to anyone. It hurts when they're gone. Eventually they all leave."

"Do you wish that you never knew Luke?" Gretchen wondered.

"Sometimes. When I wake up and I have to remind myself that he's gone."

"And I hate to say it, but you have another choice to make. You can go to bed tonight and wake up tomorrow and remember your life with Luke. Or not."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you will forget all your memories of your life with Luke. Your first kiss. The first time he told you he loved you. Your wedding. All of it. I'll give you until midnight to decide."

"I knew that I could give him up. So he could be happy, happier without me. But I never thought that I would never see him again. Now that he's gone...I...this is worse. This pain. To never have the memories of him. So then he would become just another accident victim that I couldn't save. But to have the memories of what we had and not have him here. I don't know what to do?"

"It's your choice. Your decision. Take your time. I'll be back at midnight to find out what you choose," and with that she was gone.

And Reid was left all alone.

Reid was never sentimental. He never saved anything that he didn't or wouldn't need on an everyday basis. But now he wished he had anything. Anything that would remind him of Luke. A picture of their time together, one of those notes that Luke liked to leave him, a phone message, hell, even a ticket stub to a movie that they went to. He wished for anything. In his school and work careers he was grateful for his photographic memory, but now he was even more grateful. He would forever have Luke telling him that he loved him. He would forever remember their wedding day. There were times he would sit quietly and replay his times with Luke. It was at times like that where he hated that he even toyed with the idea of giving those up. He would die without them.

Could he really live the rest of his life without the memories of his life with Luke? Well, he had three hours and 23 minutes to decide.

* * *

Gretchen stood outside Katie's apartment. She dreaded knocking, but it was 10 minutes to midnight and she had a job to do. She rapped lightly on the door and waited for Reid to answer.

Reid knew it was Gretchen when he heard the knocking on his door just before midnight. He didn't want to answer, but he knew that he really had no choice. He got up from the couch and answered the door.

"Hi." She said sheepishly.

"Hey." Reid stepped aside and let her inside.

"Did you decide what you wanted to do?"

"Yeah. I want to forget."

"What? Really?" She asked in almost shock.

"Yes! I cannot go on like this. I can barely make it through the day. It hurts to breathe." Reid's voice cracked and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Some days Gretchen really hated her job. She hated that she had to do these things.

"Are you sure about this? After this you will not remember anything about your life with Luke. There is no going back from this choice."

"Do I really need to repeat myself?"

"Ok. Sit down. And close your eyes." She gestured to the couch and Reid flopped down. He wanted this to be over with. Gretchen sat down and turned to face Reid. She slipped her hands into his and squeezed them tightly. He felt a "warmth" developing in his hands. He thought that maybe he was imagining it. He tried to put it out of his mind, but it started to grow warmer the longer they held hands. Then he saw it. All of his memories of Luke. Their first kiss, the first time he held Luke in his arms, their first time. All the times they spent at the pond. Meals they shared. Everything that made Luke _Luke_ , would be gone. Luke would just be another patient that he lost, one that he didn't save. Could he really do this? In that moment he knew the answer.

"Wait. I can't do this." His voice was so quiet, pulling his hands out of Gretchen's grip.

"Really? Oh thank God! I really didn't want to do it," Gretchen says with a laugh and a relieved sigh. "I was hoping that you would say that." She said with a relieved sigh and Reid laughed in return. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I think so. Eventually."

Gretchen left a little while later and Reid slipped under his covers, hoping that Luke would star in his dreams that night.

The next day Reid made a stop at the bookstore just down the block from Java. He scanned the entire stationary section until he found what he wanted. A camel brown leather journal. The cover was soft and the book was about three inches thick. He had some writing to do. That night was the first in a long line that he wrote about Luke. He started chronicling all of his memories of Luke. Sometimes they were full stories while others were things he remembered him saying. He would never forget anything again.

* * *

The next two weeks continued like this.

Katie came home after spending a few hours with Chris and saw the apartment was empty; or so she thought. Reid's coat was laying across the back of the chair, his shoes were sticking out from the under the couch, and there were a few empty beer bottles on the kitchen counter next to an Al's take-out bag. He did the same things every day for the past few weeks; go to work, come home, drink a little, and disappear into his room.

"Come out here!" She yelled from the hallway, trying to get through to her best friend. She had to get him to talk to her. They hadn't really spoken the last few weeks. He was at work until late at night and out of the house before she got up in the morning; if he came home at all. She was extremely worried for her friend. She had managed to get food delivered to his office at regular intervals and the only way she knew he ate at home was when he left notes for her to refill the lunchmeats. If he would just talk to her, she knew that she would be able to get him to finally tell her what was wrong. She thought maybe it was a lost patient or he was worried about being Chief of Staff, but the longer it went; the closer she came to the truth. Reid was grieving. She knew what grief looked like. She went through all of this when Brad died. She could almost feel it rolling off him.

"Katie, leave me alone!" Reid yelled back, but there was a lot less emotion in his voice than normal. At least he was answering her.

"I will not! Reid! I will not stop until you talk to me!" Katie yelled through the bedroom door. She then began to knock on the door non-stop. Reid let an exhausted sigh. He knew it was only a matter of time before Katie made him talk. Reid slipped his "Luke" journal into his desk drawer and pulled himself to his feet; Katie was not going to go away this time. Reid unlocked the door and slowly opened the door. He saw a worried look grace the face of his best friend. She reached out and took his hand; pulling him towards the couch. She sat down facing him and pulled him down with her.

"Please talk to me. You are working yourself into exhaustion. I've barely seen you since...Luke's funeral." It still hurt her to say the words out loud. "I want to help you."

"I wish you could." His voice was so grave and ghost-like.

"Reid. I am so worried about you. I am not sure what happened, but I want to help you. You're my best friend. I can tell you're grieving. Was it a patient?"

"Not really." She begun to run her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. He was relaxing into the couch as she tried to soothe him.

"What is it then?" She asked again and Reid turned to her. The lost look in his eyes scared her. She had never seen him like this.

"Luke." The name came out of his mouth on a faint whisper. He hadn't said his name since he said goodbye to him in the morgue.

"This is all about Luke?" She asked and all he could do was nod. His hands were clasped in his lap and Reid could not look away from them.

"I didn't think you and Luke were friends. I thought you barely knew him."

"You don't get it Katie. I loved Luke."

"You what? I never would have..."

"No one would. I was very careful this time."

"What do you mean this time?"

"Nevermind." Katie looked at her friend and saw fresh tears fall down his cheeks. Her voice was gone, she didn't know what to say. She simply wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder and pulled him into a hug. He didn't fight it. Under normal circumstances, he would have, but not today, not this time. He buried his face into her neck and let the tears come. He hadn't been able to bring himself to cry yet; to really cry. Cry like you do when you finally let something or someone go. The last time he let his emotions come was when he said goodbye to Luke in the hospital morgue.

After about thirty minutes, he pulled away and wiped away the stray tears from his face. Katie had to wipe away a few of her own. He sat back, let out slow breaths, and got real quiet for a few minutes; Katie almost said something when he started to talk.

"You know, being a scientist, I never believed in God. I always thought it was just something that people believed it to make themselves feel better. That it was easier to live their lives if they believed that there was something behind it all. That there was a meaning behind it all. I never believed in any of that. I just couldn't. But I met this _amazing_ man and he changed me and then he died. I mean, what was even the point? What was the point of it? And I don't know if I can live with the idea that everything that Luke was is just gone. That he is just _gone_." Tears were dancing at the edges of Katie's eyes.

"Not that I'm a big believer in God either, but it helps me wake up every day knowing that somewhere Brad is waiting for me. That someday I'll get to see him again. If I didn't...I'd never be able to get out bed. What you're feeling is normal. It took me a while to be able to look at the sun rising as a good thing. And I promise you, it will get better, but until it does, feel what you feel. Denying what you're feeling will only make things worse."

Katie felt so bad for her friend and hoped that her words would help him in some way. Knowing Reid, he wouldn't be opening up to her anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, angst is getting a little heavy in here! Have you reached for any tissues yet? Let me know who it's going.  
> Next time on Reconstruction - One year later...  
> Stay Tuned!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One year later and Reid is holding on.  
> Just one more chapter after this and then the epilogue.  
> Enjoy!

Reid woke up at the crack of dawn on that cool September morning. It was one year. One year ago today that Luke died. There were many times during that time that he almost left town. Turned tail and ran to any hospital that would have him. There were too many memories here; many of them that only he remembered. Some were painful, while others were amazing. The first time he knew he loved Luke. The first time Luke kissed him. The first time that Luke said "I love you". Reid was grateful that he could hold on to those memories when a day like this came around.

Reid got up and decided to get ready for work. He wanted to get going early. He had a very important stop to make before he needed to be at the hospital.

When Reid was deciding to buy his current home, he almost changed his mind. Could he really live in the same home that he and Luke shared? Where, no matter where he looked, reminded him of Luke? It wasn't until his first night alone that he realized that he had made the right choice. He laid on the couch in the living room and slowly drifted off to sleep.

That night he dreamed of Luke.

* * *

He was lying on their couch and was reading over an article he had been working on for The Journal of the American Medical Association. Luke had offered to proof it, but quickly gave up when he realized that he had no idea what the article was about. Reid was halfway through it when he felt the couch dip on the outside of his thighs. He grinned softly to himself, still hidden behind his notes. He could feel the weight of his boyfriend resting across his knees. Luke cupped Reid through his scrub bottoms and the redhead groaned; pushing his back deeper into the couch.

Neither man had said anything yet. Reid could feel Luke reach under his shirt and grasp onto the waist band of his dark blue bottoms. At a painstakingly slow pace, Luke pulled them off Reid and dropped them to the floor. Luke then pushed Reid's right leg off the edge of the couch and lifted his left up and onto his shoulder. Reid still hid his face behind his article and could only imagine what Luke was doing or was about to do. It was almost like being blindfolded. His imagination was doing all the work. It was soo hot just to imagine what Luke was going to do.

The redhead felt Luke's warm breath drift across his hard member just before Luke took him into his mouth. Reid's entire body tensed and a heavy moan escaped his lips. His eyes closed as he felt Luke's velvet soft tongue caress his entire length. Reid had to concentrate to keep from cumming too quickly. He knew he was in for a long ride and Luke was going to take his time. That was just the start. The pair made love in the living room, in their bedroom, the shower, and then again in their bed before falling into exhaustion. When Reid woke from reliving that memory in his sleep, he knew that had made the right decision in buying their house. He felt a little closer to Luke in this house.

* * *

Today was better than most. The first few times Reid visited Luke's grave he was so angry that Luke was gone he would yell at him. Calling him anything he could think of. 'What kind of idiot are you for using a helicopter?' Other times he sat and cried. One time Reid sat at his grave and said nothing. He didn't speak, or cry, or yell. He simply sat in front of his grave in silence for 3 hours, but today was different. One year ago today Luke passed away. He wanted to visit him before his family came to see him. Reid held to the promise he made to himself after Luke was gone; not telling anyone. He made sure that he went to see Luke in the early morning or late in the evening. How would he explain it? Katie said it well herself, no one knew how he felt about Luke. He was going to keep it that way.

He got dressed in his dark blue suit and drove across town to the cemetery. The morning was calm and cool. Robins were singing and there was an early frost covering everything. Reid zipped his jacket closed as he walked across the parking lot and onto the grass. He knew the way without even looking up. He could find his way there in the dark if he needed to. He took a deep breath as he came up to Luke's grave marker.

It was a simple marker of dark grey marble about four feet tall and three feet wide. He was afraid that Lily would go all maudlin and give Luke a remembrance that was over the top and garish. Luke was never one to flash his money; he was modest and humble. Reid was also glad that Luke's name was simple also. "Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi" was nowhere to be found. Luke Snyder was etched into the dark marble with May 16th, 1988 - September 7th, 2010 underneath it. He lived his life as Luke Synder and Reid was glad that he was going to be remembered that way. Seeing Luke's date of death was still painful to look at. Whenever he looked at it, his breath would catch and he had to swallow back a lump. That entire day would flash in his mind and he would have to calm himself down before the grief grew to be too much.

The day to day living was getting easier, but he knew that he would never be able to say goodbye to Luke. He felt slightly ridiculous when he thought that way, but Luke was worth that much. Reid sat down on the ground and lightly brushed leaves and grass off the stone.

"Good morning Luke. I guess you know what day it is. I know that I will never get through this day without thinking about what happened. It's getting easier to function, but I still miss you so damn much. I know that will never go away; like a slow burn. I still love you Luke. Katie has been trying to set me up, but I just can't." Reid felt his voice getting deeper as he tried to keep his emotions under control. Tears started to gather at the edges of his eyes and he shook his head to break them away.

"Let's talk about something else. Uh. The wing is almost done. The contractors and architect hate me. Well, they hate me more than most people do. You were always the buffer between me and them. I am making sure that everything you wanted is being included; from the overnight rooms to the relaxation suites for the patients. Anytime they try to change something I tell them under no certain terms. I want it to be something that you would be proud of. I also have to tell you...the name of the wing is changing. I know that you would say no, but the board unanimously decided and I agreed, the new name is The Luke Snyder Neurological Pavilion. I know you would hate it, but I think it makes sense. You worked so hard to make it great, this is your legacy. Well, one of your legacies."

Reid looked down at his watch and saw that it was nearly 10am and Lily might come at any moment. He wanted to be gone before she came. He slowly rose to his feet, brushed the grass off his pants, and gave Luke's grave marker one more look.

"Goodbye my Luke. I'll come and see you again. I love you." Reid kissed his fingers on his right hand and lightly touched the top of the marker. He let his fingers linger as he walked away; feeling the texture of the cold rock. He didn't look back and walked to his car. He quickly slipped into his car and closed the door. Gripping the wheel tightly, he felt his heart racing and his breathing getting strangled. He was having a panic attack. He was over his fear of spaces, but now the attacks came at times like this. He leaned his head back against the head rest and his eyes slipped closed. He concentrated on controlling his breathing; in and out. After a few minutes he could feel his body relaxing and returning to normal. He continued to tell himself to breathe in and then out. He had no idea how long it took this time, but when he looked up he saw Lily's SUV pulling into the parking lot on the opposite end. He purposely came early to avoid her. She wanted to have time alone with Luke, just like he did. He wasn't going to interfere with that. After giving himself a little time to compose himself, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove to work.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after his rounds, he walked through the nearly complete Luke Snyder Pavilion. The carpet was going to be going in next week. The furniture was wrapped in plastic and waiting to be moved in. The walls were a soft cream and there was a lot of natural light. The entire thing was built to Luke's specifications from the notes that Holden gave him a few weeks after Luke's death. Holden told Reid that he thought that they would be more important to him than put in a box somewhere. Reid cherished them. They had notes and doodles along the margins; written in his carefree style.

Reid was so entranced by the building he was walking in that he didn't even see anyone come up behind him. He felt a hand on his back and turned to see Gretchen standing there. He smiled softly and she smiled right back.

"How are you?" She asked him.

"Good. It was a year ago today, you know that?"

"Yeah, that's why I came looking for you." He appreciated the care she had shown him this past year. He never called her to talk, but he knew that she would be there if he needed her. "He would be so proud of you."

"Thanks." He breathed in real deep, trying to keep his tears at bay. He turned to face her fully and asked her one question.  "Would you like to get some coffee?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go before the Epilogue!  
> Thanks to all of you who have hung on this long. I hope you have enjoyed the ride!  
> Next time on Reconstruction - Reid's life changes.  
> Stay Tuned!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it! Last chapter and then the epilogue.  
> It has all lead up to this one.  
> I hope you enjoy this one.

Reid rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Another restless night. He kicked the covers off and laid there for a few moments before he decided to just get up. He was already awake, he might as well get something to eat. He padded downstairs and into the kitchen. The house was so quiet, peaceful. He used to like this time of night. Just after one am. The town was just settling down for the night. Since Luke was gone, he hated the night the most. He felt lonely, well he always felt lonely, but it was worst at night. On some level he knew that he should move on. Try to start a relationship again, but he just couldn't find the will. Luke was the first person he even _wanted_ to try building a relationship with. Luke was it for him. And the odds of finding another like him were slim to none. Even a year since his death, he couldn't. Katie, bless her heart, had tried to set him up with a few guys, but they never went past the first few dates. Katie was the only one who knew that he had loved Luke and she felt awful for Reid; never able to tell Luke the truth.

He pulled open the fridge and grabbed the milk. A bowl of cereal sounded good. He poured the milk and cereal into a bowl and ate standing up in the kitchen. All he could hear was the hum of the refrigerator and the crunch of his Honey Bunches of Oats. When he was done, he rinsed out the bowl, put the milk away, and decided to try to go back to bed.

But he stopped halfway to the stairs. Something wasn't right.

He backpedaled back to the fridge and looked at the scrap of paper taped to the stainless steel door. It was an announcement for a play that Ethan's school was having. The _fifth_ grade class' production of Jack and the Beanstalk. Reid switched on the lights on the wall next to the fridge. The lights in the living room glowed suddenly and he scanned everything. The antique writing desk was next to the front door. A framed black and white photo of the pond hung over the fireplace. The huge brown leather sofa sat in front of the TV with X-Box controllers sitting on the coffee table. Reid ran upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. He plowed into his bedroom and yanked the closet door open. Both sides had clothes hanging, with his side neatly put away while the other was an orderly chaos. Reid dashed into the bathroom and flicked the lights on. There were two kinds of toothpaste, mouthwash, and aftershave on the edge of the sink. He couldn't believe it. He ran back downstairs and saw a brown envelope sitting on the dining room table. The addressee was blank with Tom Hughes Esq. listed as the return address. He grabbed his jacket, threw on a pair of tennis shoes, and was out of the house. He just started running. He was nearly five miles away but didn't want to wait to start a car. Plus he wasn't sure it was safe for him to be behind the wheel.

* * *

He reached their door and knocked on the glass pane. His breaths were coming out in hard pants. He hadn't run like that since he lived in Dallas. His stomach was cramping and wanted to empty its contents on the front stoop, but he had more important things to distract him. He knocked again harder and rang the bell. He saw the lights in the living room come on. He saw her through the window as she came into view and opened the door.

"Reid? What are you doing?" Lily asked, her face was a mix of worry and confusion.

"I need to see him Lily,"

"Reid, I just got Ethan and his friends to go to sleep. Everyone is asleep," she said, cinching her robe closed against the cold outside.

"Lily. _**Please**_ ," he pleaded.

"Ok. Just, please be quiet," she stepped aside and Reid rushed past her. He was through the living room and bounded up the stairs before she even closed the door. She locked the door, shut off the lights and went back to bed. Hoping that he her son would be all right.

* * *

Reid stood outside his bedroom door and took a couple deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He slowly opened the door and stepped inside; closing the door behind him and flipping the lock. Reid could see he was asleep, lying on his left side; the comforter was pulled all the way up to his ear. His blonde hair was sticking up and over the edge of the blanket. As Reid stepped closer he could see the moonlight streaming through the window; casting a soft glow on his face. Reid kneeled next to the bed, his chest level with the blonde. His hands shaking, he carefully brushed the hair off his face. He watched Luke for a few moments. His chest rising and falling. His eyelids were fluttering softly. He felt the silky blonde strands sliding through his fingers. Luke stirred slightly and his eyelids slowly opened. He flinched and gasped when his eyes focused on someone next to his bed.

"Jesus! Reid! What are you...?"

Reid didn't let him finish his question. He seized Luke's lips with his own. In Reid's mind it had been nearly two years since he'd kissed Luke, he was not going to waste another second. Luke was surprised at first, but quickly recovered and kissed his husband back. It had been so long since they had been like this that Luke was not going to question it. Luke finally pulled away when he needed air. Both men were gasping and Reid's heart was beating a mile a minute. Reid cupped Luke's face in his hands. He rested his forehead against Luke's, sharing breaths with his husband. He could smell the mint from Luke's toothpaste. It was surprisingly calming.

"Reid, what? I don't...," Luke couldn't make a coherent sentence. He had too many emotions running through him.

"I've lived without you Luke. I can't do it any longer than I already have."

"Reid, I only moved out this afternoon," Luke commented with a laugh. His laughter ceased when he saw the seriousness in his husband's eyes.

"I lost you once. I won't do it again," Reid kept a tight hold of Luke's face in his hands, brushing his thumbs across Luke's cheekbones. Luke could feel the emotions bubbling in his chest. His throat closing, lump rising.

"I, ah, I thought that you didn't want me anymore. I thought...," Reid crashed his lips into Luke's, ferocious and desperate. He needed to stop Luke's train of thought. Luke surrendered to it, they both did. Luke's arm wrapped around Reid's back and he pulled him onto the bed. Reid quickly begun yanking off his shirt and kicking off his shoes. Luke pulled his own shirt off and reveled in the feel of Reid's skin against his. This was what he wanted, what he missed. That connection. When they were like this it was as if everything around them faded away. Their hearts, their minds, and their bodies moved together.

Reid lay fully on top of Luke, nestled between Luke's thighs. The blonde's back arched when Reid ground his body into Luke's. Reid ran his hand under Luke's head and fisted his hair. The sting of Reid pulling at Luke's hair only aroused him more. Reid's mouth never left Luke's and before Luke knew it he was naked under an equally naked Reid.

"Reid," Luke moaned. God he missed this! Two years. He hadn't bee with Luke in almost two years, but it would seem that none of that happened. But right now he didn't care. He just knew that Luke was alive, writhing underneath him, and that was all that he was thinking about.

* * *

An hour later, they lay spent and sweaty; skin sticking to skin. Luke could barely keep his eyes open. He nestled deeper into Reid's side. Reid's arm wrapped around Luke's back; pulling him even closer. Luke looked up at Reid and saw a breathtaking pair of blue eyes already gazing at him.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that all about?"

"Life is short. It's very short sometimes,"

"You know we have a lot to work out, right?"

"Yeah," Reid said nodding, "and we will tomorrow. Go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow," Luke yawned and rubbed his cheek against Reid's chest. Reid watched Luke's eyelids softly flutter closed. Reid's hand splayed out across Luke's back; his warm skin almost burning Reid's hand. He could feel Luke breathing in and out; his ribcage expanding and contracting with each breath. The warm breaths of air moved across Reid's chest. He never thought he would be so entranced with Luke's breathing; that was until tonight. Reid fought against sleep. He was afraid that when he woke he would be back in his house and he would lose Luke all over again. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.

* * *

Reid woke when the sun was shining fully through the bedroom window. He felt sore; his legs especially. When he ran five miles to Lily's, he wasn't even thinking about what the next day would bring. He just wanted to see Luke. He needed to see him. Just the thought of Luke brought a smile to his sleepy face.

He reached over and felt for his hot blonde, but only felt cold sheets. Reid sat up quickly and looked around the room. The first thought he had was, 'It was a dream. He's really gone.' He looked around and saw that he was still at the Snyder's, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. The only way he'd feel secure would be when he held Luke again. Reid threw off the blankets and got to his feet. He stepped across the room to the bathroom. He could hear the shower running. He carefully opened the door and saw a shape behind the curtain. He dared to venture a peek along the edge of the light blue curtain and saw Luke rinsing shampoo out of his hair.

Reid felt his knees buckle and he leaned heavily against the vanity. He felt like he could breathe again. His head dropped; the adrenaline that had running through his body left him and now he felt like his legs were going to give out.

"You can join me in here you know," Luke said through the spray of water.

"You knew I was here?"

"Yeah, the rush of cold air when you opened the door," Luke said and then peeked out from behind the curtain. His hair was dripping wet and plastered to his head. Luke had a glowing smile; one that lifted his entire face. He pushed his hair off his face and looked Reid up and down with an appreciative leer.

"What are you smiling at?" Reid teased; his right eyebrow raising.

"Just enjoying the view," Luke answered and raised his eyebrows. Reid couldn't help but laugh and he was even blushing a little. "Now, get your hot ass in here!" Luke demanded and ducked back behind the curtain. Reid didn't need to be told twice. He stepped inside and marveled at the sight in front of him. Water was trailing down Luke's body in ribbons. The miles of perfect skin with beads of water; looking like diamonds. Reid inched closer and wrapped his arms around Luke's waist and chest; pulling him flush against his body. Reid just wanted to revel in the feeling of Luke, in his arms. He was never letting go again. Luke ran his hands over Reid's. He could feel the redhead shaking; just slightly.

"Hey," Luke turned around in his embrace and draped his arms over Reid's shoulders; clasping his hands behind Reid's head. "Are you ok?"

"I'm perfect," he answered breathlessly and before Luke could tease him, Reid pulled the blonde to him and captured his mouth. Luke moaned in appreciation and melted into Reid.

* * *

The next night Luke and Reid were stretched out in the living room of their house. They had gone out for dinner and came back to watch a movie. Luke was curled into Reid's side and Reid had an arm wrapped around Luke's shoulders; occasionally Reid would brush his fingers through Luke's hair. It was nearly 11 pm and Luke had a meeting in the morning that he couldn't be late for. He moved to sit up and Reid pulled him tighter.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"You _are_ home."

"We have stuff to work through. If I stay, then we will just slip right back into where we were before all this. I don't want to be back here in a year or two or ten. I want this to be the last time that we ever say goodbye like this." Luke answered and was ready for Reid to tell him he was a sap, which never came.

"Well, at least let me take you home."

"Reid, I can drive myself."

"I just want to."

Reid was not going to let Luke out of his sight as much as he could help it. He didn't want anything to happen to him if there was any way he could avoid it. He didn't care if he became Luke permanent chauffeur. Luke was not going to be in danger again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...did I redeem myself? I think so!  
> See! I told you guys it would get better.  
> Next time on Reconstruction - Luke calls Reid out.  
> Stay Tuned!


	24. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it.  
> I know it was a lot to take, but I hope it didn't disappoint.  
> I do love a good twist.

The next month Reid was attentive, polite to Luke's mother, did everything that Luke asked without complaint.

And it was **_freaking_** Luke out.

Reid had brought home take-out from Al's and they were eating dinner. Reid never once reached across the table to take one of Luke's fries and this was enough for Luke.

"Reid, what's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're home _well_ before me. You're bending over backwards to do things that I want. You even agreed to spend the day at my mom's."

"Isn't this what we argued you about the night you left? Are you complaining now?"

"STOP! What changed that night? Why did you come to me, desperate? You told me that you couldn't live without me." Luke just needed to know what Reid was thinking. He needed to know where they really stood.

"Again you're complaining? I would have thought you're sentimental heart would have loved that."

"So you just said it to end a fight."

"No."

"Then what? Just to get into my bed?"

"No! I would **never** do that to you!"

"Then why? Why are you acting like this?"

"Because you died, all right!" Reid shouted. His heart sunk as soon as the words left his mouth. He had promised himself that he wasn't going to tell him, to tell anyone. He could see confusion spread over Luke's face. Reid wiped his hand across his face and waited for the evitable.

"What?"

"I don't know if it was a dream or what it was. I mean it _had_ to be dream, right?"

"Reid. Honey, you're babbling."

"I know. That night; that night you moved out, when I went to bed, I woke up it was five years ago."

"Huh?" Luke was still not following.

"It was 2010. Noah was still blind. The neuro wing was in the planning stage. You still hated me. I was given a choice,"

"That I would die?" Luke asked in horror.

"No! That's not...I'm not doing this right. I was given a choice, either do everything the same or change it,"

"What did you choose?"

"That we never got together," he answered Luke in a worried voice.

"What?!" Luke exclaimed. He felt sick to his stomach. Did Reid really not to be with him? He chose to not be with him at all. He needed to get out of here. "I have to go," Luke stood, but Reid quickly stepped in his way. He grabbed onto his arms to stop him from leaving. He just needed to explain.

"Luke! No! Wait. Please. Sit down and I'll explain," Reid begged Luke and saw him thinking about it. "Please."

"All right. I would love to hear all about this," Luke sat back down on the far end of the couch and Reid sat next to him.

Reid turned to face him and tried to calm his racing heart. He wanted to do this, he needed to do this. He had been carrying this for too long. Reid told him everything. About him and Noah. About Chris getting sick and needing a heart and how he went to get it. About the crash and Luke being brought into the ER. He told Luke about having to operate on him and not being good enough to save him. He even told him about the second choice he was given; about choosing to have their life erased from him memory and how he couldn't do it. Reid had tears going down his face when he got to the end. Luke wanted to comfort Reid, but he needed to know one more thing first. When he finally found his voice, he asked.

"So, in this dream of yours, why did you decide to not pursue anything with me?"

"Because, I knew how much I hurt you. All the fights and disappointments. The last year or so, I felt like I wasn't good enough. It was nothing that you said or did. You just, you deserve so much better than that, better than me,"

"Reid."

"But when I woke up and realized it was the night you left. I needed to see you. To touch you, and hear you _breathe_ , and kiss you. I needed you Luke. When I woke up, I thought you had been dead for a year. I still remember all of it. I still feel all of it, that's why I've been acting the way that I have been. I love you Luke and that year you were gone, real or not, was torture. I don't want to feel that or go through that again. When you died, my entire body turned on me. My heart, my head, my body hurt. Like I had been pulled across gravel and broken glass. The pain nearly killed me. I will do whatever you want or need to keep you with me." Reid was trying to keep the tears at bay, but he was struggling.

"You started staying at the hospital and not coming home...I thought you didn't want me anymore. That you were regretting marrying me."

"Never! I've been an ass and obnoxious, but I have never or will ever regret marrying you. I love you Luke. It's that simple."

"Wait. Is this why you have been wanting to take me home every night?"

"You died while I wasn't there. I never want to go through that again."

"But Reid, that's going to be impossible. You can watch me like a hawk for the rest of my life."

"I can't?" He asked and Luke laughed out loud.

"I love you, but if you act like this for any longer, you will drive me **_crazy_**." Luke looked at Reid and saw that none of what he was saying sinking in. "Ok, what can I do to make you feel better?"

"Promise a few things. Promise me to always take your meds, always wear your seatbelt, and get your Grimaldi helicopter checked."

"I promise." Luke said resolutely and closed the gap between them.

* * *

Reid walked down the hall of Memorial feeling better than he had in a long time. Luke and him were on the mend. He knew that if was going to take time before they were back to where they used to be, but they were both willing to try. In the mean time, Luke had withdrawn his divorce petition, but he wasn't moving back home just yet. Reid was not happy about the latter, but the former gave him a big sense of relief. He stepped into his office and let out a long sigh. Everything was where he left it; he felt the need to check every time he walked in. That included the wedding photo of him and Luke that sat on the edge of his desk. He sat and stared at it for a few minutes before he heard someone knock on his door.

"Come in." He called out and the door opened. His assistant Jennie stepped inside. "Jennie! Good morning!"

"Ah, good morning Chief." She answered, a little taken back by his cheery mood. "There's a someone here to see you." He leaned to look past her and saw a fidgeting Gretchen standing behind her.

"Ah, yes, let her in." Jennie moved aside and let the frightened nurse in. Seeing how scared the young nurse was, she suddenly felt very sorry for her. Jennie shut the door and went back to her desk. Wondering how long it would take before she ran out sobbing.

As soon as the door latched, Gretchen relaxed her shoulders and shook off the tension. Relieved to drop the act, at least for a little while.

"Man, do you know how hard it is to fidget like that? My shoulders are constantly tense." She dropped into a chair opposite him and let out a relaxing sigh. "Having a good morning?" She asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Very." He answered back.

"That's good. Luke is well?"

"Yeah. I've been looking for you the last month. How did I come back here? I thought you said that I couldn't, I had gone too long in my other life to go back."

"What made you think _**that**_ was the do-over?"

"You said it was!"

"I said you got one, I never said when it started." She watched as realization flooded his face and she had to laugh. "Don't waste it Doc. I must be going."

"Thank you." He didn't know what to say.

"Ah, that must have hurt." She said with a wink. Reid couldn't help but laugh. "Don't make me come back here." She opened the door and closed it behind her. Reid had to ask her what she meant. He quickly got up and opened the door. Only Jennie was there. She couldn't have left already.

"Jennie? Can you page Nurse Taylor for me?"

"I'm sorry Chief, but who?"

"The nurse who was just here." Jennie wasn't stupid by any means, but she must have been having an off day. "You just escorted her in."

"Excuse me Dr. Oliver, but you've been alone all morning. No one has come to see you today."

 _That_ _little_ _minx._ He thought to himself.

"Oh, ah, must have been daydreaming. Nevermind." He closed the door and went back to his desk.

He was indeed given a Do-Over, maybe not the way he thought, but there was no way that he was ruin it this time. He had seen things from the other side and he never wanted to go back there again.

God willing he would never have to.

 

_**The End** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for taking this journey with me.  
> Stay tuned for more from me.


End file.
